Hard To Reveal
by joliesse43
Summary: When Brennan walks in on Booth and Cam hooking up in the lab, Booth and Brennan are forced to confront their feelings for one another. A high profile case tests allegiances and loyalties. Not a story for Cam lovers. FINAL UPDATE!
1. Oh!

Hard To Reveal

When Brennan walks in on Booth and Cam hooking up in the lab, Booth and Brennan are forced to confront their feelings for one another. A high profile case tests allegiances and loyalties.

I started this story before the Howard Epps episode with the 'who will Booth sleep with' teaser, so this is unrelated.

Disclaimer – I own nothing related to the show. I'm just writing a fictional story to amuse myself.

--

Brennan slowed and parked her car in one of the reserved spots at the front of the lab. Normally she wouldn't, but it was late and she was tired. Besides she was just running in to pick up a file that she had forgotten. It was almost 11 on a Friday night and no one would be here to yell at her for parking in the wrong spot. By no one, of course, she meant Cam. Her new boss whose main job seemed to be trying to keep her in line. That and stifling the scientific creativity of her and her team.

Sighing, Brennan grabbed the file she was returning and exited the car. It's Friday night, she told herself, I am not going to think about Cam. Brennan had started working even more on the weekends when it became apparent that Dr. Saroyan tried to avoid the lab at all costs between Friday and Monday. Lately, Brennan had had some company on her weekends in the lab as her other employees had discovered the boss' aversion to working on the weekend. _Wouldn't want to get in the way of shots and poker,_ Brennan thought. Though they had come to a sort of truce recently, there was still something about Cam that Brennan didn't trust.

Waving at the night guard as she passed, Brennan entered the lab, her mind focused on the file she needed and the nice hot bath waiting for her at home and not on her surroundings. If she had been paying more attention she would have seen the black SUV and black BMW parked in their usual spots. Turning the corner and entering the main lab, she looked up from the file she was holding and promptly dropped it, papers spilling across the floor.

"Oh!" She said in shock and embarrassment as her brain tried to process what she was seeing. Booth's naked upper body. Cam's naked … well what appeared to be everything. They both turned to look at her when she dropped the file, the sound echoing loudly in the now silent lab.

Her face flushing a deep red, she bent down and desperately tried to cram all of the papers back into the folder. Once she had them all, she took a quick peek in the direction of the lab. Cam had grabbed her clothes and was quickly trying to put them on. Booth was standing with his shirt in his hand, but he made no move to put it on. Instead he stood watching her with a shocked expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, "there was a file and …." Finding nothing else to say, Brennan took off down the hallway, hot tears pricking at her eyes. She wiped at them with the back of her hand, wondering why the hell she was crying. The hallway seemed excruciatingly long and she picked up her pace, practically running when she was sure they could no longer see her.

"Are you alright Dr. Brennan?" The guard asked before she could burst out door. She slowed, nodded her answer and stepped out into the cool night air, relieved to be out of the lab. _Oh my god! _She thought._ I can't believe I just walked in on Booth and Cam. My partner and my boss. Booth. _Reaching her car, she put a hand out on the hood to steady herself. She wasn't sure why it was bothering her so much. Angela had told her that Booth and Cam had been together in the past, and Cam herself rarely let an opportunity go by to remind her that she knew 'Seeley' in ways Brennan didn't. _If they wanted to date or whatever, it's fine; I don't have any claim on him. What he does in his personal life is his own business._ She tried to convince herself.

Feeling somewhat reassured that it was indeed none of her business; Brennan fished her keys out of her bag. Her calm betrayed by a tear that fell and left a small wet circle behind on the leather. "Shit!" She muttered as she angrily wiped at her eyes. _What the hell is wrong with me? I must have gotten something in my eyes. Yes, that's it. It must be allergies or maybe I am coming down with something. I am not crying because Booth was having sex with Cam in my lab. Her lab now_, a voice reminded her from somewhere inside, but she ignored it.

"Bones!" She froze at the sound of her name. She had stayed in the parking lot too long. Looking down at the keys in her hand, she considered driving away, pretending she had never heard him. Brennan unlocked the door and was reaching for the handle when she heard Booth come up behind her. _Crap! _she thought._ Now he is going to see me crying and think that it has something to do with him._

"Bones," He began in a conciliatory tone, "I'm sorry. That was completely inappropriate." Brennan nodded her head slightly, but didn't turn around.

"Could you please look at me?" He requested.

Brennan rolled her eyes and then turned to face him. She stared intently into his eyes, daring him to mention the fact that she had obviously been crying. Wisely, Booth chose not to comment on it.

"You don't have to apologize to me. I would rather … that type of activity didn't take place in the lab, but she is the boss." _My boss_, she wanted to add.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like that … I was looking for you." Booth said. At his comment Brennan's eyes opened wide and Booth realized how what he had just said sounded.

"I, I didn't mean it like that." He stammered. "I was looking for you to ask about something completely work related and Cam was there and she…"

"I don't need the details Booth." She said shortly, cutting him off.

An awkward silence descended over the parking lot. Booth stared down at his feet and wondered what the hell he was doing out here. He had stood still for a few seconds after Brennan fled down the hall, probably out of shock. Cam was swearing under her breath and trying to get her cloths on, her haste making the simple task exceedingly difficult. Cam had called his name and he finally snapped out of his trance. He had thrown his shirt on and followed Bones to the parking lot, hoping to catch her. Now that he was here he wasn't exactly sure why. He had left one woman naked in the lab without so much as a word and ran after another woman to whom he didn't know what to say. Feeling like an idiot, he grasped for anything he could say to Bones.

"Cam and I aren't dating," He said lamely.

"Um, ok." Brennan said.

The awkward silence continued. Brennan's eyes flicked to the door of the lab. She definitely didn't want to run into Cam now, no matter what the status of Cam and Booth's relationship was.

"I better get going." She said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, right." Booth took a step back to allow her to open the car door. _Say something,_ he urged himself.

"Bones," he called and she stopped and turned to him.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're ok."

Eyes narrowed, she glared at him and said, "I'm fine Booth."

He paused a moment before asking, "Then why were you crying?"

"I don't know," she answered quietly, her eyes focused on her hands. Quickly, she got into the car and was gone before he could respond.

Booth stood in the parking lot watching the taillights of the silver Mercedes fade into the darkness. Kicking at a rock on the ground, he launched it across the parking lot and took small satisfaction in how far it went. _Women!_ He thought in frustration before slowly walking to his truck.

---

The song on the stereo ended just as Brennan pulled into her parking space. She turned the car off and sat in the ensuing quiet and darkness for a few minutes. Resting her head on the steering wheel she asked herself, _what just happened?_ _Why had Booth followed her outside? Did he just leave Cam standing there? Why the tears?_ Realizing that sitting in her car wasn't going to help her sort anything out, she gathered her stuff and headed to her apartment.

The bath she had been looking forward to no longer sounded appealing and the clock told her it was getting late anyway. Brennan walked into her bedroom to change. Usually, she carefully put each piece of clothing in its proper place, whether it be the hamper or a hanger, but tonight she left everything in a pile on her floor. The green silk of her favorite pair of pajamas made her feel a bit better.

As she left the bedroom, her mind was racing, trying to analyze things she wasn't yet ready to analyze. She needed to focus her thinking on something other than Booth and Cam. Brennan poured herself a glass of wine, sat down with the scattered file and began to put it in order. Unfortunately, it didn't hold her interest enough to keep her mind from wandering.

_Fine._ She would admit, though only to herself, that it had upset her to see them together, and perhaps even made her jealous. But just a little bit and even that was completely irrational. Despite any other factors, and even if she wanted to be with him, they worked together. That was the bottom line. They were partners, even if they didn't have the same employer, it wasn't allowed. Of course, dating your professor in college is probably even more forbidden and she had done that. _But this is different_, she told herself, _there is much more at stake now, personally and professionally_.

Dropping the reorganized file on the table, she poured herself another glass of wine. It was definitely going to be uncomfortable around the lab with Cam after this. Especially if Booth had run off and left Cam with no explanation. Great. All they needed was more tension. The wine had the desired effect and Brennan could feel herself relaxing, she lay back on the couch and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing as her sensei had taught her so many years before. She began to drift off to sleep – until a knock on the door demanded her attention.

"What are you doing here?" She asked Booth when she opened the door. He was standing in the hall, his hands in his pockets, still wearing the same clothes he was wearing earlier.

"I don't know," he said echoing her earlier sentiment.

Booth stepped around her and into the apartment. He picked up the file on the table and thumbed through it absently before setting it down and turning towards Bones.

"I was just driving around and I ended up here."

"Do you want something to drink?" Brennan offered, unsure why exactly Booth was standing in her living room.

"No thanks." Booth said. He seemed to be considering something, so she waited for him to speak again.

"You know, my life was a lot less complicated before I met you." He said softly and Brennan was slightly taken aback. She wasn't sure if she should be offended; his words said yes, but his tone said no.

"Well this last year hasn't exactly been easy for me." She said annoyed. "Pretty much my entire life has been turned upside down! I've been shot at, I've shot people, been investigated for murder, and then my family…"

"I know." He said. "I didn't mean it like that. I just." Booth stopped and looked at her.

"Are you still seeing David?"

"No," She answered confused by his sudden change in conversation. "It's been over for a while."

"What happened?"

"The usual," Brennan gave him a rueful smile. "Me."

"What does that mean?" Booth asked.

"Oh," she said with a dry laugh, "You know, just that I work to much, have trust issues and am emotionally distant." She was trying to sound flippant, but Booth saw a flicker of pain pass through her eyes.

"I always said that David was an idiot." He reminded her.

Smiling, Brennan crossed the room and picked up her wine glass. She took her time taking a drink and tried to figure out what Booth was doing. She wished that she had his talent for reading people because right now she had no idea what he was thinking. The night had started out with her interrupting Booth and Cam having sex, and now Booth was standing in her living room calling her ex-boyfriend an idiot for breaking up with her.

"Booth, what's going on?" She asked finally.

"I didn't like seeing you with David," He said after a long pause.

"I didn't like seeing you with Cam." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Booth had been standing across the room from her, but at her words he moved closer.

"So what are we going to do about this?" He asked.

"Nothing. There is nothing we can do." Brennan replied firmly.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Cause I think we should kiss." Booth declared.

"What?" Brennan replied her voice high with shock. She took a step back from him, banging her leg on the coffee table in the process and nearly falling over. _Smooth_, she thought as she righted herself.

"Maybe I don't like seeing you with other guys cause I think it should be me. Maybe we are meant to be more than friends. Maybe we aren't."

Brennan swallowed hard and asked quietly, "And a kiss will tell us that?"

"I'll be easy to tell if there is nothing between us. Then we will know and we can just be friends. Friends who don't get jealous." Booth said, his voice low.

"And what about Cam?" Brennan asked.

Booth ran his fingers through his hair and said with a sigh, "That was just recreational."

"What is this?" She asked her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Scientific inquiry. Chemistry experiment."

She wanted to ask what they would do if it turned out there was something between them, but the question died on her lips and she found herself nodding instead.

Booth moved closer to her and put an arm around her waist. His proximity made her suddenly aware that while Booth was fully dressed; she was wearing only flimsy silk pajamas. The leather of his jacket was cool against her skin and Brennan knew that she was in trouble by the way her heart was already pounding. She didn't need to kiss him to know that she was seriously attracted to him, but she didn't move away. When Booth pulled her closer to him, she didn't resist. With his left hand he gently traced her jaw line before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers.

The kiss lasted longer than either intended and by the time they pulled away Brennan was having trouble catching her breath. The warmth from Booth's lips made her lips tingle and she resisted the urge to rub them.

"Ok then." Booth said, his voice slightly squeaky. Brennan didn't quite trust herself to speak so she just nodded. He had a strange look on his face and she was pretty sure that the kiss had affected him as well. Taking several steps back, his eyes never left hers.

"I'm gonna go." Booth said.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"Goodnight Bones," Booth said as he closed the door behind him.

"Good night Booth," She whispered to the closed door.

--

Please review and let me know what you think so far. This is just the set up. The next chapter will have a case and squints and tension. Always the tension.

Happy Friday to All!


	2. One Angry Pathologist

Ch. 2 - One Angry Pathologist

Sorry it took so long to update. I really wanted to post sooner especially cause of the great reviews for the first chapter, but I have been on travel recently. I plan to update once a week, which is about all I can manage. This chapter turned out to be pretty long so hopefully its good.

Reminder: This story was plotted out before The Blonde in the Game. So events from episodes after that aren't included, unless I decided they might be helpful to the plot.

--

Closing the door behind him, Booth walked down the hall, his mind spinning with the evening's events. Once he was clear of Brennan's door he stopped, putting both hands on the wall and resting his head against it. He closed his eyes and he could still feel the warmth where Bones' body had pressed up against his, her tentative yet hungry kiss. Booth groaned and banged his head against the wall. What he had just done was either a monumental screw-up or a good move, though he was pretty sure it would turn out to be the former. _Dammit!_ He had promised himself he wouldn't do that; wouldn't cross that line with her. _At least not yet._

Tonight had not gone like he planned. He was going to stop by the lab, check up on Bones and make sure that she actually went home. Instead he had run across Cam, who was in a feisty and flirtatious mood. She came on strong, and he really didn't have a reason to resist; that is until the reason walked into the lab.

Bones. Temperance. Several times he had been close to kissing her, but he had no idea how she would react. Sometimes it seemed she was flirting with him and sometimes she seemed oblivious to the moment. Though even as well as he knew her now, she still managed to surprise the hell out of him several times a week. _Well, _Booth rationed, _I didn't go over there to kiss her, you know, so at least it wasn't a premeditated kiss. That has to count for something. _He'd ended up at her place almost by accident, glancing out the window of his truck, startled to see a familiar building.

_The kiss was probably a mistake_, he decided. But once he was inside her apartment and saw her in her skimpy silk pajamas, his willpower deserted him. He had mostly been teasing her about the kiss. The experiment. Mostly. There was a moment or two of shock when she nodded her head, but he got over it quick enough to pull her tightly to him before she could change her mind.

He had become a bit infatuated with her lately and it wasn't really a good thing. True, there were days when he was happy to go home and have a quiet evening away from her endless questions and rationalizations. More often though, he found himself wondering what Bones was doing at the end of her day. Booth knew that most of the time she stayed at the lab long after everyone else had gone home.

Occasionally, he would give into his infatuation and drag her out of the lab late at night for a meal. Lately, he had been tempted to ask her out for more than a burger at the diner or dinner at Wong Foo's. He would walk into the lab confident in what he would ask, confident in what she would answer, and leave with a smiling Brennan next to him - at least that's how it played out in his mind. Usually his confidence would begin to wane as he entered the lab. By the time he actually found her, still hard at work, her face a mask of concentration even though she had been there for probably 12 hours, his confidence faltered and he usually stammered out something about needing food and a quick bite on the way home. Instead of leaving with a smiling Bones, he usually left with an annoyed Bones because she had been pulled away from something she wanted to finish.

Booth slowly pushed himself away from the wall and headed outside. The blast of cold air was a welcome shock and he turned up his collar against the wind as he headed for his truck. As he walked, he found himself wondering why he sometimes lost his confidence around Bones. He knew he was good with women. He had realized along time ago that women found him attractive and if he was nice to them he could usually get what he wanted; it came in handy in his personal life as well as his professional life. _I guess she's immune to my charms_, he thought, _but Cam isn't._

Having sex with Cam in the lab was not a good idea no matter how he looked at it, but when she began to seductively strip off her clothes in front of him … well. It had been awhile since he had had a naked woman in front of him. _I guess I'm not immune to Cam's charms._ They'd had sex occasionally after they had broken up. Nothing serious. No relationship talk, just sex. That what he assumed this was as well. He knew it was stupid to leave her without saying a word. _What was I supposed to say, never mind I don't want to have sex anymore, bye? _He figured that his actions said it all anyway. Glancing at the clock he was surprised to see it was so late. _Thank God I have Parker for the weekend, _he thought, _and both women know it and I can figure out what the hell I am going to do._

_--_

Temperance arrived at the Jeffersonian a little after eight on Monday. Usually she was at work earlier, but this morning she had lain in bed trying to muster the energy to get up. _It's not because I don't want to see Booth and Cam today_, she told herself, willing the words to be true. It was a cold and grey morning. Nothing unusual for Washington D.C., but a recent heat wave had left her wondering if it would ever be winter. Now as she rushed to get inside the building and away from the biting cold, she longed for the warmer temperatures.

The first thing she noticed as she entered the building was a familiar smell, though one she hadn't expected to be present this morning. Wrinkling her nose she sniffed carefully hoping to gain some insight into what was apparently this morning's case. _How did a body get here? Why wasn't I called? _Entering the main lab she was surprised not to see any activity. She had expected to see a body on a cold metal table with several people milling about. _Perhaps there is a note on my desk_, she thought as she made her way towards her office. There was no note; however, no explanation for the faint tinge of decay the Jeffersonian's powerful fans left behind.

"Morning," a cheery voice said from the door and Brennan turned around to greet her friend.

"Where's the body?" Brennan asked bluntly.

Angela shook her head. "Come on sweetie, we've worked on this. When someone says 'Good Morning' it is customary to return the greeting before making demands."

"Right," Brennan said pausing to consider. "Good morning Angela," she said with a satisfied grin. "Where is the body?"

Angela sighed and gave up. Sometimes her friend could be impossibly exasperating. Just once it would be nice to come to work on Monday and discuss the weekend with her friend like normal people did. Where they'd gone, what they'd seen … who they'd done. The good stuff. Normal stuff. Instead she gets, "Where's the body?" It didn't mean that Brennan didn't care about her; she knew that, but still …. Well she wasn't ready to give up yet. It had become her mission from the first time she had met Brennan to get the serious woman to have a little fun, to see how real people lived and related. Though the process had been rather slow, Angela knew that progress was being made. And Booth had definitely helped.

"I'm assuming in the autopsy room with Cam, but I thought you would know." Angela said pointedly.

"No. No one called me. How long as she been here?"

"Who Cam or the body?" Angela asked with a smirk. Brennan glared at her and she continued. "I got here at 7:45 and Cam was already in the autopsy room."

"Is Booth here?" She asked, praying she managed to sound normal.

"I haven't seen him."_ Me neither_, thought Brennan.

"Who requested that Dr. Saroyan perform the autopsy?" She asked before Angela could ask any Booth related questions.

"I don't know."

"Assuming there is an autopsy." Brennan continued seemingly oblivious to Angela's answers. "Why so early on a Monday morning?"

"Um Bren, I don't know." Angela answered with a shrug. "Maybe you should ask Cam, or why don't you just call Booth."

The problem was than Brennan didn't want to do either of those things. Her basic plan, she had decided after a weekend's worth of reflection, was to pretend that nothing had happened. She wouldn't mention naked Cam or the 'experiment' or any of it. Angela was staring at her expectantly, no doubt waiting for her to snap into action, but she wasn't snapping. She was thinking how foolish she had been to assume that she and Booth and Cam could work without any residual awkwardness. It wasn't even five minutes into the day and the recent romantic intrigue was already affecting her work. Normally she would march straight to the autopsy room and ask Cam what was going on. This morning however, she wasn't quite ready to see Dr. Saroyan. Aside from the fact that the last time she had seen Cam her boss had been naked, she had no idea where things stood. It had been a quiet weekend and Booth didn't call. Which was fine. She wasn't waiting around for his call; if she knew what she wanted to say to him she would call him. It was his weekend with Parker and she hadn't really expected to see him, but she couldn't help but wonder if he had talked to Cam.

Angela noticed her friend's hesitation. "Ok, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Brennan said unconvincingly.

"Aren't you going to call Booth or something?" Angela asked her eyebrows raised high in question.

Brennan shifted uncomfortably at the suggestion. She probably should call Booth, but the thought of talking to him caused her pulse to increase. Well, it was either the thought of talking to Booth or the thought of kissing him that made her heart beat faster. Take your pick. What would she say if he brought up the kiss? Even after a weekend of reflection she didn't know what it meant or what she wanted it to mean. Shaking her head to rid thoughts of him from her mind, she stood up and faced Angela, who was looking at her with an odd expression.

"I think I'll go talk to Dr. Saroyan." Brennan said as she brushed past Angela and was quickly out the door.

Standing in front of the autopsy room door, Brennan took a minute to steel herself against what she expected to see; Y incisions and fresh organs everywhere. She hated to show any weakness, especially around Cam, but sometimes a post on a fresh body made her feel slightly queasy. Pushing through the heavy door she was surprised to see a mostly decomposed body.

"Dr. Brennan," Cam said sharply when she realized who walked into the room. "Can I help you?"

She didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were too busy taking in every detail of the room and body. The body lay on the autopsy table, though it obviously wasn't necessary. Brennan could tell right away that it was an adult male who had probably been buried for at least six months. The body was far too decomposed to be attended to by a pathologist alone.

"I wasn't aware that we had a recovery and a case this morning." Brennan said trying not to make eye contact with her boss.

"That's because there is no need for you to be aware of it Dr. Brennan, unless I decide there is." Cam replied looking straight at Brennan, her dark eyes sharp and hard.

Brennan found herself breaking the intense eye contact with Cam. She shifted her eyes back to the body, which Cam was standing protectively in front of. _Ok, so this is how it is going to be,_ she thought remorsefully. _Obviously her icy demeanor indicates that she is angry with me, though I'm not sure how any of this is my fault._

"That may be, but this particular body appears more suited to an examination by an anthropologist and not a pathologist." Brennan said.

Cam took a few steps towards her, using every inch of her smaller frame to try and intimidate. "If and when I decide I need an anthropologist I will contact one. My assistance on this case was requested by a political official. I'm sure there is a reason they contacted me and not you." Turning back to the body Cam said dismissively, "I assume you still have some reports from last week to complete. Finish those."

"But…" Brennan began, quickly changing her mind. Saying anything further right now would not help so she turned and silently left the room. _A political official? Why would they request a pathologist from the Jeffersonian? Why doesn't she want me involved? How much of this has to do with Friday night? Should I say something to her?_

"So?" Angela asked as she passed her friend, who stood looking slightly shell shocked outside the autopsy room.

"Bren, hello!" Angela said waving her hand in an effort to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, what?" She replied, suddenly aware that Angela had been speaking to her.

"Did you figure out what Cam is working on?" Angela asked as they walked.

"No," Brennan replied. She dropped her voice and continued, "I don't think she wants me to know."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't she want you in on the case?" Angela asked before hopping up on a metal examination table.

"I don't know, but she seemed annoyed that I was asking about it and kind of secretive. You don't want to sit there." Brennan added pointing her seat.

"Why not?" Angela asked as she jumped off the table and took a few steps away from it.

Shaking her head Brennan said, "Just trust me. So you don't think there is anything strange about Cam's secret morning autopsy?"

"God, you sound paranoid. Come on Bren, you always think that Cam is out to get you and so far she hasn't been. Hodgins is working on some samples for Cam. It's not some sort of clandestine process. You know," Angela continued her voice softer, "Cam's good at her job too Bren. I'm sure she will ask for your help if she needs it."

It hurt a bit that her friend was unwilling to believe her. After all, she didn't always think Cam was 'out to get her;' it was just that something seemed off about this case. Of course it was possible that she was reading too much into Cam's actions. _Well she never really liked me before and now she has a good reason not too._

"Oh!" Angela said in a sudden realization. "Did something happen between Booth and Cam? Is that why you don't want to talk to Booth and Cam won't talk to you?"

Brennan dropped her head so that Angela couldn't see her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the banging of the autopsy doors.

"People!" Cam shouted in her usual annoyed tone. Scanning the empty lab her gaze came to rest on Angela and Brennan. "Get Zack and Hodgins; we're meeting right now." Her missive delivered she turned and marched back into the room.

"I'll go get the guys," Angela volunteered, "Give you and Cam some time to talk."

Angela walked off quickly, leaving Brennan alone. _Great. Time to talk. Just what we need. _She steeled herself to walk into the autopsy room for a second time today, though this time she needed the strength for a different reason.

--

The lab appeared empty when Booth walked in. He went straight to Bones' office, clutching the papers that needed her signature tightly in his left hand. He needed to see her. He'd been acting like a high school kid hiding all weekend. They could still be friends, if nothing else, he was sure of that. Finding her office empty, he struck out across the lab; wary about who he would see first.

"Booth!" He heard Angela call. She greeted him with a big smile.

"Hey Angela. Is Brennan around?" Booth asked waving the file in front of him. There was no telling how much Angela knew. How much she had been told or perceived with her freaky powers. Booth didn't want to take any chances.

"She and Cam are in the autopsy room. We're all supposed to meet there. Some dead body that Brennan is all freaked out about. Go ahead in," she said nodding at the door. "I'll be there in a minute."

Booth made a face and asked with apprehension, "They're in there alone … together?"

Angela nodded. Booth put a hand up and rubbed his neck. "I … I think I left something in her office." He mumbled.

"Come on man, I'll protect you." Hodgins said, slapping Booth on the back as he passed. Angela fixed Hodgins with her knowing smile and Booth gratefully followed him into the room.

When they entered, the two women were standing as far away from each other as they could. The tension in the room was palpable. Booth tried to catch Bones' eye, but she refused to look at him. He wasn't sure what had just transpired between the two women, but it couldn't be good.

"Seeley. I didn't expect to see you here." Cam said eyeing him while angrily peeling off her soiled gloves.

"I just needed some signatures from Brennan. I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting." Booth said, suddenly regretting his impromptu trip to the Jeffersonian.

"This will just take a minute so you might as well stay." Turned her attention from Booth to the rest of the group she announced, "I am working on a case in conjunction with the medical examiners office. I may require assistance from some of you." She emphasized the word 'some.'

"I thought you said it was a political official who requested you? The medical examiner is appointed, not elected."

"Yes Dr. Brennan, I realize that. What transpires between the medical examiner and myself is none of your concern. Now if you will please let me continue."

"Of course, I'm just trying to understand." Brennan said the look on Cam's face convincing her to say nothing more.

Booth wandered towards the evidence that lay out on a metal tray. The crime began to build itself in his mind and Cam's voice slipped into the background. It wasn't his case, but he still took in the details. Expensive Swiss watch, still amazingly keeping perfect time. A thick gold ring. An Ipod. A cheap leather wallet that contained $50 and nothing else.

"Was there a phone?" Booth asked out loud, interrupting Cam.

"Do you see a phone?" She answered clearly bothered by the disturbance.

"No, but this guy's got everything else. Did you look around for his phone?"

"Yes Booth. People from the medical examiners office and myself did the entire recovery. That's enough for now; everyone can please get back to work."

Booth gave Cam a quick smile that wasn't reciprocated and hesitantly approached her as the others filed out the door. "Hey Cam, I'm really sorry."

"Don't Seeley." She answered coldly.

"I could poke around on this case, help you out a bit." Booth offered trying a different approach. When she wheeled towards him with her eyes blazing he realized it was probably the wrong tactic.

"You know Booth, people can investigate without you. Not every case in this lab involves you. The Jeffersonian is not your personal forensic playground!"

Booth threw his hands up in an apologetic gesture and turned and walked out of the room. Brennan was sitting at her computer when he walked into her office. It took her a moment before she raised her eyes from the computer screen to meet his.

"Has she been like this all morning?" Booth asked.

"Yeah. She seems pretty angry." Brennan paused and then asked, "Have you talked to her?"

"Well, I tried, but…" Booth said sheepishly.

'It might help." Brennan offered.

"I'd rather talk to you." Booth said. "I'm in court today, but will you have dinner with me tonight and we can talk? You can fill me in on this case or whatever it is." He added as an afterthought.

For a moment she considered telling him no, that they had nothing to talk about, but when she looked into his eyes she couldn't say it. Didn't want to say it. "Yes." She said quietly. "Call me when you are ready to leave."

--

Cam walked into her office and dropped heavily into her chair. _So much for going home early to catch some Monday Night Football_. It was already almost eight and she still had a lot to do. Propping her elbows up on her desk she rubbed her temples trying to ward off the headache she knew was coming. The headache that had been virtually continual for the last two days. She wondered what that said about the choices she'd made recently. Voices interrupted her massage and she got up to see who it was. Of course, she should have known.

Booth and Brennan were leaving, obviously together. Though she didn't want to, she felt a pang of jealousy when Booth slipped his arm around Brennan's waist. _St. Bones. How can I compete with that?_ She probably would never be as smart or accomplished, hopefully would never be as damaged, and definitely would never be as tall. Suddenly, Cam didn't feel like working anymore. She needed beer and male attention and knew a sports bar where she could easily find both. There was one thing though, that she had to do before she left.

No one was in sight when Cam closed her office door. Her field kit had been sitting under her desk all day and she pulled it out now. From a small, well-concealed pocket she pulled out a little evidence bag. She held it in her hand and stared at the muddy cell phone for a moment before she slipped it into her purse. Carefully she locked up her office and rechecked the lock on the autopsy room door. Satisfied that everything was secure, she walked out of the lab, her mind already jumping ahead to the alcohol.

--

Please let me know what you think. Unless you really think it sucks, then I'd rather not know :-)


	3. Dinner and a Confession

Ch.3 - Dinner and a Confession

So, I know it's been a while since I updated, but what can I say. I've been really busy and am slightly lazy. A bad combination for things like laundry, fanfic, and homework. My first college course since I graduated and I forgot how much school sucks; I better start my masters degree soon or it's not gonna happen. Blaa. Now on to the story…

----

"Hi," a voice said from the doorway. Brennan felt a warmth begin to flood through her at the sound of his voice. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and gave him a smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to call." She sounded a bit worried and he chuckled.

"I thought I would stop by and pick you up instead." Glancing up at him she started to say that she would meet him somewhere, but fell silent. The nerves that she had managed to bury with work all day came roaring back and she felt her stomach turn. Booth seemed to sense the change and said softly, "It's ok Bones." When he went to put a hand on her shoulder, she dodged it and stood up, quickly gathering her stuff. Booth took a moment and closed his eyes, trying not to let her actions bother him.

"I'm ready," She said balancing a pile of folders and bags in her arms. When Booth moved to take some of the load, their hands touched and this time she let it happen. He slung the pack over his shoulder and they headed out of the office.

"Are we going to the diner?" She asked.

Shaking his head Booth said, "No, I thought we'd go somewhere different. It's a nice little place, dark and quiet and … you know we'll be able to talk."

Brennan looked down at her clothes with concern. "Am I dressed appropriately?"

Booth took a minute to observe her outfit, or more accurately the curves it concealed. "Well, I guess it will be okay." He said, pretending to deliberate. He dropped the charade quickly though when he saw her face fall. "I'm kidding Bones," he said hurriedly. She walked quickly up the corridor and Booth caught up to her and slipped an arm around her waist.

"You always look good," He whispered into her ear. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as his breath brushed across them causing a shiver to dance up her spine; of apprehension or anticipation she wasn't sure.

--

The restaurant was so dimly lit it took a minute for their eyes to adjust. Booth held open the door for Brennan who hesitantly walked inside. She had relaxed a bit on the ride over as he filled her in on his day in court. The case he testified on was one of the last cases he had worked that hadn't involved Bones and the Jeffersonian and she was interested in the details. However, once they pulled up at the restaurant Brennan grew quiet again and he could feel her standing stiffly next to him now.

"Seeley, it's so good to see you!" a short silver haired woman exclaimed.

Booth bent over and gave the woman a hug; she looked so tiny and frail in his large arms. "Who is this?" The woman asked fixing Booth with a knowing look.

"I'm sorry. Temperance Brennan this is Angie Baber." Brennan shook the tiny woman's hand and they followed her to a table set apart from the others in the far corner.

"She seemed very happy to see you." Brennan said conversationally as they waited for their waiter.

"Yeah, well I ate here a lot when I first moved to D.C."

They chatted as they ordered drinks and appetizers, the awkwardness they had both been expecting only settling in once the drinks were on the table. The candlelight reflected strange patterns on the wall and Brennan studied them as she thought. _Obviously, my brilliant plan of pretending nothing had happened between us isn't going to work_. Her heart hammered away as she tried desperately to focus her thoughts, for this seemed like the moment she had known would come; should she give into Booth and her heart or keep herself detached and protected?

"I'm not going to apologize for kissing you." Booth said finally, breaking the quiet. "But," he continued," I do apologize for not talking to you sooner."

Temperance nodded dumbly; startled by the direct tract he had taken.

"I .. I didn't know what to do."

"And do you now?" Brennan asked eyebrows tightly knitted, slightly relieved that she was not the only one who was in a quandary over the state of their relationship.

"I think so." Booth took a drink to wet his suddenly dry throat before he continued. "I care about you Temperance. A lot. You're one of the most important people in my life and I want to be with you. More than just at work; more than just partners."

He stopped, afraid that if he continued talking he would say too much. There was a certain four letter word he was trying to avoid for both their sakes. He studied her face, trying to gain some insight into what she was feeling. It was a face he had become rather adept at reading in the time they had worked together, but tonight she was giving nothing away. Full poker face mode, but there was a hint of something in her eyes. Fear? Sadness? Longing?

The ensuing silence fell heavily around them. She looked at him, and he realized the look in her eyes was almost pleading. Booth understood at once how hard this was for her. He took a deep breath. _Nothing with Bones is ever easy,_ he reminded himself. _I couldn't have found a tougher woman to fall in love with. _Giving her a reassuring smile, he spoke.

"Look, I know this is kinda hard for you. I'm not asking for some huge declaration. We can keep it simple for now. I like you. I liked kissing you. I'd like to do that again." He stopped, and then continued with a smile. "If you want to stand up on the table and declare your undying love for me I won't stop you, but be careful it's a pretty low ceiling."

Brennan returned his smile with a small one of her own and appreciated that he was trying to relax her with the joke. _Just do it_, she ordered herself, _act like a normal person and talk to him._

"I'm scared," She admitted quietly, lowering her gaze to the table.

"Of what?" He asked, holding his breath.

"Of getting too close."

Her words, whispered in a wavering voice, hit him hard. Coming here tonight he had no idea what to expect from her. Though usually an optimistic person, he was fairly certain that she would tell him their relationship should stay strictly professional. He hadn't expected her to admit one of her most basic fears. A fear he wasn't entirely sure how to alleviate.

"Yeah, it can be scary getting close to people." Booth conceded. "Sometimes you get hurt, but not every time."

He took her hand in his. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you."

"I don't know."

She had let him in so far already. Allowing herself to be closer to him, to depend on him, more that anyone since … well. This next step was logical. _No,_ she thought rebuking herself for resorting to science terminology, _not logical. Natural._

"Do you really think we can make it work?"

"Yes. Come on Bones, it's you and me. Of course we can."

"Cam said …. " She started quietly, shaking her head and she trailed off unsure.

Booth removed his hand from hers and leaned in closer. "Cam said what?" He asked in a low and almost threatening voice. Earlier in the autopsy room it had been clear that something had taken place between the two women. It made him a bit nervous. Brennan could hold her own against Cam in every respect but one; spitefulness and underhanded manipulation.

"Nothing Booth, never mind." She said when she heard his tone. _Brining up Cam right now probably isn't the best idea._

The waiter appeared at their sides with plates of food. While she was not hungry in the slightest right now, she was grateful for the interruption. They sat in silence for a few minutes, pushing food around on their plates, taking small bites, but not tasting the delicious food.

"Seeley," she began, surprising herself with the use of his first name. She didn't think that she had ever addressed him by his given name, but she liked the way it sounded on her lips.

"Seeley, I … I want to be with you too." While still quiet her voice was no longer shaky, but strong and sure. It was slightly less sure when she continued, "I know that I'm different and … difficult and wary of relationships, but I'm going to try."

Brennan looked so serious and Booth felt so relieved and elated that he couldn't help laughing a bit. The confusion she felt at his laugh registered on her face and he got out of his seat and moved next to her. Placing his hand on both sides of her face, he held her there murmuring, "You, difficult? Never," before kissing her.

Releasing her, he went back to his seat. He couldn't help the smile spreading across his face and her expression quickly matched his. They chatted as they ate about their upcoming schedules, the recent winter weather, and Parker's recent superhero obsession. The conversation was easy and light and it felt to Brennan like how they had been before. But then there would be a silence, a smile, a knowing look and her breath would catch reminding her that it wasn't the same.

When they got close to her house, Brennan got a bit nervous. _Should I invite him up?_ She wondered. Before she could extend the offer, Booth made the decision for her, parking the SUV in her normal space at her building.

Opening his door Booth said, "I'll help you take all this junk upstairs. I swear you pack more to and from your office everyday than anyone I know."

"It's not junk," she replied indignantly, "and I thought I might have time to work on a few things at home tonight."

"Oh really, well I'll just take this stuff up and be on my way." Booth said as he started for the door. When he paused holding the door open for her, she didn't walk through. Instead she leaned up against his shoulder and whispered, "I said I _might_ have time." Booth followed her to her apartment, the goofy grin on his face once again.

After depositing her stuff on the table, Booth turned to look at her. She wondered for a minute what he was going to do before she decided it didn't matter. She knew what she was going to do. Taking several steps toward him, she closed the space between them. He stood still as she reached out and placed her hands on his chest, sliding them up and caressing his neck before wrapping them tightly around him.

Booth stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before he finally moved. "Temperance," he whispered and pulled her even closer to him, kissing her. Everything else seemed to drop away and he was only aware of the two of them. Her hands, her lips, her voice as she whispered, "Seeley," in between fevered kisses. She smelled so good and felt so good and he could feel himself loosing control. Slowing the pace of his kisses, he moved his hands to her arms and slowly pulled away.

They looked at each other, both breathing heavily. Her eyes were shinning and her face flushed and he moved toward her again, kissing her again.

"I think I should go," He said his voice husky. "Let you get some work done."

"Yes, that would probably be a good idea." She answered, regaining her composure. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She added hopefully.

"Oh yeah," Booth said as he kissed her once more and left.

Once again he paused in the hallway outside her door. _Her neighbors are going think I'm crazy always hanging out in the hall._ Leaving her was extremely hard. He wanted to be with her tonight and he could tell by the way she reacted to him what would happen if he stayed, and he really wanted it to happen. _But it would be too much too soon. It's for the best,_ he told himself and forced his legs to carry him back to his car.

--

Dr. Saroyan was already in her office when Brennan arrived early the next morning. That was unusual and not entirely welcome. Brennan was a little embarrassed to see Cam's car parked next to hers; her car covered with frost, having obviously sat in the lot all night. Actually, she had forgotten all about her car, her mind having been on other things last night. It wasn't until she walked out to her empty parking spot this morning that she remembered that her car was still at the lab.

She thought about calling Booth for a ride and she was surprised he didn't remember her car, he was usually always aware of things like that. But they had both had more important things on their minds last night. Brennan felt good when she woke up. She had made her decision. No more would she or should she; she was. She was still half terrified of pursing a relationship with Booth, but she was going to try.

Brennan walked quickly to her office, cursing the boots she was wearing as they clicked loudly against the hard floor. To her relief, Cam didn't appear and she settled in at her desk and began to read her email. She worked undisturbed until Zack appeared in her door and hour later.

"Dr. Brennan?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts. "I have a skull I would like you to take a look at. I'm fairly sure a bullet was the cause of death, but there are some strange spiral patterns along the inside of the wound."

"I'll be right there," She replied without looking up. Catching the clock out of the corner of her eye, she was surprised to see how much time had passed. Everyone would be at work now. As she made her way to where Zach was working, she noticed Angela and Hodgins talking in a corner. Brennan was surprised that Angela to see that already here. Her friend usually stopped to say good morning to her on way in.

When Angela spotted her friend, she said something to Hodgins, who nodded, and crossed the lab. "Hi Bren."

"Good morning Angela," Brennan said then remembering their previous conversation she added, "How are you?"

Angela eyed her friend and said, "Fine. How are you?"

"Quite well, thank you." Truthfully, she had expected her friend to magically know about the change in her and Booth's relationship. Brennan was kind of relieved that she didn't appear to suspect anything. She didn't think she was ready to talk about it yet.

"Cam had to run out, but she wanted me to tell you that she wants to meet with you when she gets back." Angela said.

"About what?"

"I have no idea. I'm just the messenger." She replied with a shrug.

"So she's not here now?" Brennan said looking at Cam's office.

"Brennan, no." Angela said following her friend's gaze.

"What?" Brennan said giving Angela her most innocent smile.

"No! You are acting crazy. I'm not going to let you search Cam's office."

Brennan gave her a 'you can't stop me' smirk and took a step towards the boss' office. Angela stepped in front of her friend to stop her.

"If you do this Bren," Angela said her voice soft but determined," I will tell her."

"What? Angela … why? I thought you were my friend." _Not hers,_ she finished silently. Though she had to admit that Angela and Cam probably had far more in common than she and Angela did. She had seen them lately, laughing and bonding.

"I am sweetie. That's why I can't let you do this." Angela said reaching out and touching Brennan on the arm. "I don't know why you have these irrational suspicions about Cam. She was the chief coroner of New York. She probably knows the D.C. coroner. It's not that strange that they would ask for a consult."

"Maybe," Brennan conceded, "but."

"But what, Bren? Cam has already tried to fire you. What do you think will happen if she catches you snooping around her office?"

"Snooping around whose office?" A voice came from somewhere behind them and they both froze. _Oh Shit! _Brennan though and she grimaced.

"I asked a question and I would like an answer." Cam said curtly.

Angela and Brennan turned around slowly to face their angry boss.

"I um, we were just talking … about her book and a plot." Angela said aware that her lie was pretty lame and unlikely to be believed. Despite her threat, she would have never told on her friend. Even if she didn't agree with what she was doing.

Cam ignored Angela's stuttered story and focused her attention on the tall scientist in front of her. "Dr. Brennan, I would like to see you in my office." When no one moved Cam gestured impatiently. "Now!" Angela gave her friend an apologetic look before Brennan turned and walked towards Cam's office. The door shutting loudly and ominously behind her.

--

I swear there will be a case in this story. I even did some research for it and everything.

A couple people commented on Cam and how I should be fair to her. I try not to make her like unbelievably evil, but I don't really like her and now she's going to be around for the entire year. What do you guys think? Are you glad Cam will be on the show all season?


	4. Reality Check

Ch. 4 - Reality Check

Here is my usual apology for taking so long to update. Sorry. I just needed some Vegas Bones and a few days off to get inspired again.

Most people who responded to the 'do you like Cam question' in the last chapter don't like Cam. I copied a couple of the responses after the chapter and Cora Clavia you totally gave me an idea….

--

Brennan tried to keep her expression neutral as she waited for her boss to speak. She couldn't help but think back to the last time she and Cam had spoken alone. The things Cam had said, well as much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't get them out of her mind. _Do you really think you can make him happy? _Cam had asked. _He's a good man and he deserves someone who can be there for him and you well … you're a mess._

Dr. Saroyan walked around and sat behind her desk, indicating that she would like Brennan to sit as well. She studied the anthropologist carefully for a moment, enjoying watching the other woman squirm. It wasn't a sight she often got to see, as Booth had been right, Brennan didn't intimidate. At first Cam had attributed the lack of intimidation to cluelessness. Dr. Brennan wasn't really in touch with the real world and Cam had figured she didn't know she was supposed to be intimidated. Despite all the anthropology she spouted with textbook precision, Brennan obviously had trouble equating her studies to her life.

Cam couldn't intimidate her physically, despite her rough New York upbringing; she knew that Brennan with her martial arts and sharp shooting would kick her ass. She couldn't intimidate her intellectually as even she had to admit that Brennan and most of the squints were in a different realm when it came to intelligence. It had taken awhile, but Cam had found her weakness. Relationships. She knew how Seeley felt about Brennan. She had caught him several times, watching his 'Bones' with an almost dreamy expression on his face. Cam was sure he had never looked at her like that. She didn't want to be jealous, hated being jealous. It was a sign of weakness.

When Cam had first come to the Jeffersonian, she had no idea what she was walking into. All she knew was that she would run the forensics lab. A lab that included the best equipment that money could buy, a world famous forensic anthropologist, and a certain hunky FBI agent frequently consulting on cases. She glared at the woman before her and wished that there had only been two out of the three. Dr. Goodman had left a few details out in his job description. Like how she was really taking Brennan's job and how her power was actually limited. She had explored firing Dr. Brennan and was told in no uncertain terms that Dr. Brennan was one of the Jeffersonian's most valuable assets and that she would find herself out a job long before the forensic anthropologist did.

For the last several months Cam had tried several different strategies for bringing Dr. Brennan under her control. After all, she was used to being the chief medical examiner, the one who ran the investigations and only consulted other forensic scientists when they were needed. She had tried intimidating her, being almost friendly to her, and finally had tried to take her man and her best friend. Working here was definitely not what she had imagined, and she didn't really like the person it had forced her to become. The actions it had forced her to take to hopefully secure a new position in the federal government. Leaving the Jeffersonian felt like she was giving up, admitting defeat, but between most of the world being enamored with Dr. Brennan and Hodgins' family practically owning the institute she felt that her time here might be limited. At least this way she could leave on her own terms. All she needed to do to accomplish her goal was to get the remains out of the Jeffersonian and assuage Dr. Brennan's suspicions. She decided to try another tactic.

"Dr. Brennan," she began, "I realize things have been stressed between us lately. I am used to running investigations my own way, which is obviously different than yours. Though neither of those ways should include going through the office of another Jeffersonian employee."

Brennan looked faintly embarrassed and started to reply, but Cam cut her off with a wave of the hand. "This case was straightforward. There was no question of the man's identity and no question about the cause of death. Your expertise simply wasn't needed. As far as who killed him, we weren't asked to investigate that. Just to confirm identity and cause of death, which we have now done. They will be here in about a half hour to transport the remains."

"I'm sorry," Brennan said awkwardly and Cam felt a bit smug at having made her apologize.

"As a gesture of good faith, you may examine the remains now, if you wish. Then you can see for yourself that there is nothing to hide."

"Yes," Brennan replied sounding a bit confused at the offer. "I would like to do that."

"Well you had better hurry," Cam said nodding at the clock, "you don't have very long."

--

Adjusting her gloves, Brennan eyed the body on the table with great interest. She was surprised to see that the bones had not been stripped of flesh. In fact, the remains looked almost identical to the way they had looked when she had seen them yesterday. _Well if identity and cause of death were easy to determine and there was no other investigation…_She reminded herself, trying not to let her mind jump to conclusions.

The cause of death was obvious; there was a large hole in the man's back. Peering closer, she noticed tiny pockmarks at the edge of the wound. The wound had been made by a shotgun and judging by the tight dispersal pattern it had been at very close range. _Interesting_, she mused, _this is only the third shotgun wound I've seen since I've been here._ Glancing at the clock she grimaced. She wouldn't have time to look at the entry wound under the scope. Unfortunately the service was never late, meaning she only had another ten minutes with the remains. Silently wishing for traffic or even a small accident on the roads around the Jeffersonian, she forced herself to do only a cursory examination of the remains. Ignoring the shotgun wound for now.

There were several broken bones in the right wrist and one cracked rib that probably wasn't related to the shotgun blast. Brennan cursed herself for not bringing her recorder with her. She wanted to take notes on what she was seeing and glanced around finding no paper in the room. _Damn._ She continued her examination looking closely at the skull. She had been right in her early observations about race and age. Opening the mouth, she paused when she saw the deplorable state of the teeth. Grabbing a magnifier she could see that many of the teeth were missing, including several molars. The teeth that remained were stained an odd color. She could see no evidence that any Dr. Saroyan had been removed or scraped any of the teeth so test for the chemicals that had turned the enamel such and odd color. Looking around the room, she found what she was looking for and walked over to grab the knife and container. Before she could make it back to the body and take a scraping off the teeth, the door opened and she cringed when she heard Cam escort the transport team into the room.

"Dr. Brennan, your time with the body is up." Cam said. She could clearly see what Brennan was planning to do. "I told you that we were not requested to do any additional inquiry on this case. I expect the reports that I have been asking for to be on my desk first thing in the morning."

Brennan could tell that she had been dismissed and angrily put the tools back on the counter, wadded up her gloves and threw them in the trash. As she stalked back to her office, the details that she had discovered spiraled around her brain, trying to form order and assemble patterns. The teeth interested her the most. _So many missing and the strange coloration._ Suddenly she remembered and article she had read several months ago. _What journal was that in?_ She tried to remember with little success. Logging into the Jeffersonian's library webpage, she performed a journal search for the keyword 'methamphetamine' hoping the article was already scanned into the system.

One article jumped out at her and she scanned the article until the phrase she was looking for jumped out at her. 'Meth mouth.' When the drug was smoked the corrosive ingredients caused staining and eroding of the enamel, often leading to addicts losing teeth or having them pulled. She scrolled back up to the top of the article she read through the list of chemical ingredients in the drug. She wondered how anyone could put something in their body that included ammonia and hydroiodic acid.

"Dr. Brennan?" Zack called from her doorway. Something about the way he said it made her think it wasn't the first time he had called her. She had been so involved in the article that she hadn't even noticed him.

"I'm sorry Zack, what do you need?"

"Do you have time to look at the skull now?" She felt a bit guilty, she had gotten so hung up on Cam's mystery case she had forgotten about his request. She bookmarked the article before she closed the browser. As she stood up she saw the reports Cam had been asking for. _Ok, no more mystery case for now,_ she insisted. _I can talk about it with Booth tonight. _

--

A shadow crossed the paper she was working on and she looked up to see Booth standing in front in her office looking amused and, well very sexy. "Must be something really interesting," he said pointing to the paper on her desk. He walked around to her side of the desk and leaned against it, standing so close his leg pushed against her thigh. The smile on her face changed, but didn't disappear.

"It's not," she said flustered by his sudden appearance and closeness.

"Are you ready to get out here?" He asked hopefully.

"No. I've got this report for Cam that I really need to finish."

Booth studied her closely wondering if she really did need to finish the report or if she was trying to avoid him. "Come on Bones, the world won't end if you leave work before nine you know."

"I know," she answered giving him the smile that lit up her face. Booth loved it when she smiled and hoped he could make her do it a little more often. "I've been ordered to have this report completed and on Cam's desk in the morning."

What he really wanted to do right then was take her in his arms and kiss her, but he resisted the urge knowing she would never do anything like that here. Instead he reached out and rubbed her arm before covering her hand with his.

"Well, I'm gonna be at home, sitting on the couch watching basketball. If you want, when you finish up here you should stop by." He suggested, trying to sound casual, so she wouldn't know how badly he wanted her to come over, how he had looked forward all day to holding her.

She considered telling him what she had learned about the body, but decided that with Cam's habit of pop up unwanted she had better tell him somewhere else. "I'll call you when I finish," She promised and Booth gave her hand a quick squeeze before he left.

After working diligently for another hour, she completed the required paperwork. Cam insisted on documenting everything, which was probably a good idea, she admitted grudgingly, but it still meant more paperwork. She had hoped to do a quick examination of a skull for the curator of the Mayan exhibit, but her mind refused to cooperate. It was late and as usual, she was the last one working, all the offices dark except for hers. Usually she didn't mind. Enjoyed the quiet, but tonight it felt a bit lonely. An image of Booth stretched out on his couch watching tv popped into her mind. She looked at the skull apologetically as she slipped her coat on. It would have to wait. Tonight there was somewhere else she wanted to be.

--

Carefully balancing the bag of food with the bottle of wine, Brennan shifted her load to ring the doorbell. Booth took the food from her and she went inside. "I'm glad you came over," Booth said as he deposited the food on the table, "and showing up with food is definitely a plus."

"I haven't eaten since," she trailed off as she tried to remember if she had actually eaten breakfast. Booth gave her a disapproving look and pulled out the food.

There was quite a pile of containers and he laughed. "I guess you are hungry."

As they ate she filled him in on what she had discovered about the mystery case. Booth listened carefully, only asking a few questions when she forgot to translate for him. When she was done he put his fork down and pushed himself away from the table.

"That doesn't make much sense." He said after a moment of refection. "First you've got a drug user whose addicted bad enough to have messed up his teeth, but he still has a $5,000 watch and an Ipod. Why wouldn't he have pawned it for drugs? And a shotgun, you're sure about that?" He asked without thinking. His only answer was a glare.

"I know you're sure I meant … it seems kinda strange." Booth said backpedaling. "The guy fights with someone and ends up dying a few minutes later from a shotgun wound to the back at close range. You don't see a lot of double barrel shotguns used in drug murders. Was it sawed off?"

"I don't know. I didn't have time to properly examine the wound."

Booth sat quietly again. Bones was right, something about the case seemed off. From the way Cam handled it to the new information they had learned. _What the hell is Cam up to?_ He wondered. Cam had a tendency to be impulsive and that coupled with her lust for power was sometimes a bad combination.

"I'll look into it tomorrow." He said. Brennan seemed satisfied by his answer and finished her dinner.

"How is the basketball?" She asked when she was done, remembering his evening plan revolved around some sort of game.

"Wasn't good last time I looked. Let's go check." She moved to clear the table, but he grabbed her hand. "Leave it. I"ll get it later."

He led her into the living room and sat down on the end of the couch. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to sit. Booth gave her hand a gentle tug and pulled her down beside him.

"Yes!" He said excitedly when the commercial ended and the score flashed on the screen.

"I take it your team is winning?" She said, trying to show some interest in the game since it seemed so important to Booth.

"The Chicago Bulls and yes, they are up by fifteen." He explained

"Why a Chicago team?" She asked with interest.

"I was a big Michael Jordan fan." He said with a shrug.

"I know who that is!" She said excitedly and she looked so cute that Booth leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Booth picked up the controller and began to flip channels stopping when a car chase scene involving a classic Dodge Charger caught his eye. They watched in silence for a while and Brennan moved closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. After a while she asked a question about a police procedure that had been mentioned in the movie. He explained how it would really work and they spent the next part of the movie commenting on and sometimes laughing at the investigative process of the two cops who were trying to catch a killer.

"They wouldn't really let two cops chase a murderer all over the west would they? Wouldn't it be an FBI case anyway since it involved that missing girl? And there is no way she can run up that hill in those heels." Brennan noted incredulously.

"I don't think they are very concerned about accuracy in this movie, Bones. I think were just supposed to focus on the special effect and the two hot cops." Brennan checked out the male cop again. He was good-looking, but a little too pretty for her taste.

Sitting on his couch, his feet up on the coffee table, and Temperance curled up against his chest, Booth felt contented in a way he hadn't in a long time. She shifted against him and the hand that had been resting on her waist made contact with bare skin as her shirt pulled up. He heard her inhale sharply, but he didn't move his hand away. Instead he moved him thumb back and forth slowly until he felt her relax against him again. His open hand almost covering the entire expanse of her flat stomach.

A loud explosion on the tv forced his attention back to the screen. The characters had narrowly avoided another assassination attempt and now found themselves hiding in an abandoned cabin. Their lives in jeopardy and nothing to do but hide until daylight, they of course ended up having passionate sex. As the characters on the screen stripped and began to moan, Booth shifted his attention back to the woman beside him.

He could tell that the action on the screen had affected her as well by her deeper breaths. As if of its own volition, his hand moved up her stomach until his finger brushed the bottom of her bra. She shivered and traced her way down his arm until her hand was on top of his, interlock their fingers and squeezing his hand tightly. Moving to give himself a better angle, he kissed his way down her neck.

Brennan stayed as she was, enjoying his attentions until she couldn't stand it any longer. She needed to touch him, to kiss him. She slid over until she was straddling him, facing him and kissed him, releasing years of stored up tension. Sliding her hands across his chest she reveled in the feeling of his smooth muscles under her hands.

Finally, she moved her hands down to his waist and began to unbutton his jeans. He caught her hands in his, holding them gently, and looked at her intently. She wanted him right there on the couch, but Booth insisted on the bedroom. She wanted him right then, but he insisted on going slowly, driving her crazy with his lips and hands. She was almost ready to start begging when he shifted on top of her and finally gave them what they had both waited so long for.

--

It took several moments for Booth to realize that the sound he was hearing wasn't a dream and that it was the ring of his cell phone. He sat up and smiled at the sight of Bones lying next to him, her back naked and exposed where the blankets had slipped down. Tearing his eyes away from her, Booth got up and tried to remember where he had left his phone. He followed the ringing out into the living room.

"Booth," he said sleepily as he flipped open his phone. When he heard Cullen's voice he swallowed and tried to get the sleep out of his voice. A body had been found on federal land near a senator's house and he and Dr. Brennan had been requested.

"I have already notified the Jeffersonian and Dr. Brennan should be receiving a call shortly." Cullen said and Booth was slightly distracted by the sight of Bones walking into the living room wearing only his undershirt. He snapped back to attention when he realized that Cullen was giving him directions.

Brennan's phone rang loudly in the background and Booth waved his hand, trying in vain to get her attention. She didn't look at him though and answered with a loud, "Brennan." He heard Cullen clear his throat on the other side of the line.

Cullen finished giving Booth the details and then said pointedly, "At least you won't have any trouble locating Dr. Brennan this morning," before hanging up.

Booth groaned and rubbed his face in his hands. When he looked up, Brennan was staring at him with a look of realization on her face. She got off the phone then said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." She paused and then asked in a small voice, "Does he know?"

"It doesn't matter," he said not sounding entirely convincing. He moved towards her, meaning to wrap her in his arms, but she took a step back and crossed her arms protectively in front of her.

"Temperance," he said suddenly concerned about the almost panicked look in her eyes, the look that he had been expecting to see ever since their first kiss, but hadn't seen until now. He held out his hand and tried again to move closer to her.

She shook her head and whispered, "No."

--

Cora Clavia - As for Cam - I just really, really want to see Bren kick her ass, Chuck Norris-style. Please, Oh Lord, please . . .

BonesSVHP73 - Thanks to Cam Brennan hardly works with Zack anymore or does any lab work. It seems to me like Cam is slowly taking everything that is Brennan's and it is time for her to take it back

ShipperCrazed - I'm an avid Brennan/Booth shipper and therefore do not like the evil and plotting sex toy Cam :-)


	5. Bodies in the Morning

Chapter 5 - Bodies in the morning

Yes, yes I am the world's worst updater. I hope some people are still reading this little fic.

This chapter is actually the first half of chapter 5 so it's a bit shorter than normal. I wanted to get something posted now though. The rest should be up sooner cause its already outlined.

--

Brennan stood in his living room frozen to her spot. _What would Cullen think and more importantly what would he do? _She knew that the bureau had strict fraternization policies and even though she didn't directly work for them, she was pretty sure they would not be please with this development. _Will they let us continue to work together?_ She wondered. Despite whatever else there was between them, she really enjoyed working on cases with Booth. She liked the feeling that she was making a difference. Not only was she giving the deceased back their identities, but she and Booth were often able to give them justice as well.

Why had she been so careless? What the hell was she doing here anyway? Walking around half naked in Booth's apartment after … what they had done last night. Did she think she could just fall in love, call him Seeley and live happily ever after? That kind of stuff happened to other people, not her. She knew there would be no fairy tale ending for her life; she didn't expect one.

"Temperance?" Booth called again questioningly.

She cleared her throat and spoke without looking at him. "I'm going to get dressed and go to my place and change." Walking into his room she hurriedly looked around for her clothes. She could feel his eyes on her as she searched, her underwear eluding her. _Crap! They have to be here somewhere. _Finally she decided it didn't matter and went into his bathroom to change. When she came out, Booth was standing in his boxers leaning against the doorframe. When she moved towards the door, Booth shifted and blocked the entrance.

"Booth please," she said in a quiet voice. Suddenly the room felt too small and she could feel her cheeks flush. _I just want to get out of here,_ she thought willing Booth to move.

Booth shook his head at her request. "I'm not gonna let you run out of here, run away from this. From me." He added, reaching out to touch her face. She didn't flinch, but stood still enjoying his caress. Allowing her eyes to finally meet his, the tenderness and concern she saw gave her pause. Maybe everything would be all right. Maybe she could have it all: the job, the man, and the happy ending. It took a moment for her to break the connection and when she did, Booth moved slightly to allow her to pass.

"Will you pick me up?" She asked as she opened the front door, her voice not as steady as she wanted it be.

"Always," he answered, reaching around her to close the door. "We need to talk about this Bones."

" I know. I just …." _I just what?_ She couldn't look at him when she continued. "I'm not sure I can do this and right now we should probably focus on the case."

"Right," Booth said sullenly, "the case."

"You better go. I'm going to take a shower and then I'll be over. I'll call you when I get there." Booth said and he turned away from her and walked into his room.

Brennan walked out the door and turned before she shut it, but Booth was already gone. She knew that she had hurt him and that made her feel terrible. The last thing she ever wanted to do was to hurt him. _But,_ she rationalized to herself, _I won't hurt him as much if I stop now, before we go too far._ As she walked to her car she realized that it might already be too late, maybe they could never go back to how they were. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she wanted too.

Waiting until he heard the door close behind her, Booth turned and slammed his fist against the wall. "Dammit!" He said aloud as he stomped to his bathroom. The water was warm and soothing as he stood in the shower and allowed it to cascade over him. Things had been going so well, better than he had ever imagined, not that he had allowed himself to imagine it very often. Booth knew he needed to be patient. That she hadn't been involved in a real relationship for a long time, if ever, but he didn't want to be. Picking up the bar of soap he began to scrub his skin vigorously, as if removing all traces of her scent from his body could remove her from his heart and mind as well.

-

"Hey," Brennan said softly as she climbed in the SUV and settled her bag in the back seat.

Booth didn't look at her or acknowledge her greeting. "It'll probably take us about an hour to get there." He said gruffly.

Not entirely sure how to act around his partner, Booth opted for silence. He had gone from having one of the best nights of his life to a terrible morning and now he was hurt and angry. Finally he glanced towards the passenger seat and saw that Bones was looking out the window, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses. She seemed a bit sad and he relented.

"There's coffee and a bagel for you." He said gesturing at the center console.

"Thanks." She replied giving him a tentative smile that he didn't return.

"Booth," She started sounding hesitant, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to …"

"Don't," Booth interrupted flatly. _I am not going to sit here and listen to her apologize for last night._

"I thought you wanted to talk about this." Brennan added confused.

"Yeah, well I don't anymore." Booth said, his tone harsher than he meant it to be. "Let's just focus on the case and get through today, ok."

--

Cam woke up with a pounding headache and a mouth that tasted like cotton. She grimaced as she rolled over and opened her eyes. The man in bed next to her looked familiar, but she couldn't remember his name. Much to her relief he seemed to still be passed out. She got out of bed carefully and followed the trail of her clothes out to the living room. When she entered the living room she saw how light it was and felt a sinking feeling when she realized it was much later than it should be. _Why doesn't this guy have any clocks in his house?_ She thought with annoyance as she looked around. _And where the hell is my phone?_

Overcome by a sudden feeling of nausea she collapsed onto the couch. She had promised herself that she wouldn't do this anymore. Wouldn't drink all night and go home with a man she barely knew, but here she was again, waking up with a hangover in a strange apartment. Lowering her head into her hands she took several deep breaths to steady both her stomach and her mind. The couch she was sitting on was dingy and frayed and the apartment was small and dimly lit. Everything seemed dirty and she stood up, wanting to leave as quickly as she could.

Rounding up her belongings she quickly dressed and stepped outside into the cool air. Glancing down at the phone in her hand she was dismayed to see it was almost 9:30 and she had several missed calls. She groaned when she saw that Goodman's was one of the numbers. That couldn't be good. It either meant there was a body or she was in trouble. Whatever it was she just wanted to get to her office and nurse her hangover. _Please God, don't let me have to do an autopsy today._

She flagged a cab and started listening to her messages as she settled in the backseat. The first was from a man asking her to meet him at a bar last night. Todd. She glanced back at the building she had just left and couldn't help but wish she had just spent the night with Booth and not some guy with a crappy apartment named Todd. She flushed slightly as she remembered her encounter in the lab with Booth.

Her daydream was cut short by the next message, which was from Dr. Goodman. Another body had been found and the FBI had requested Dr. Brennan's assistance. What she heard next caused her blood to run cold. The location of the body was all too familiar and in a slightly panicked voice she ordered the cab driver to take her to the Jeffersonian instead of her place.

--

Please review.


	6. Snow Daze

Chapter 6 - Snow Daze

Here it is exactly a week from the last update and it's another update! This chapter got a bit long, but I suppose that makes up for the shortness of the last one. It was fun to write so hopefully you enjoy it!

Couldn't help the snow thing. I've been commuting from 'small mountain town' to 'big city hospital' in the snow for the last week to visit my sister and it's been annoying, though I usually love the snow. (My sister is doing well!)

Thanks for the reviews (as always!)

--

The silence continued heavy and awkward until they arrived at the park and climbed out of the truck. Both were relieved to get out of the SUV and have something else to focus on and they listened intently to the sheriff who briefed them on their way through the woods.

"A hunter found the body. He almost didn't report it cause they ain't supposed to be huntin up here. Goddamn poachers!" The sheriff added in a gruff voice as he spit a stream of tobacco in front of Brennan, causing her to jump back. Booth couldn't help but smile at the look of extreme disgust his partner gave the man.

"Sorry," The sheriff added unapologetically before continuing. "Anyway, it's right up here." He stopped and pointed to a nearby bush. "It smells and I ain't going no farther. Glad you people are here." Leaning back against a tree and crossing his arms, the sheriff pointed the way again to Booth. "Better go keep up with your woman."

"Thanks," Booth said snidely and he tramped off in search of Bones and the body. He stopped short of the area and watched his partner work. She was already gloved and probing around the remains. As he watched her work, he couldn't help but remember how smooth her skin felt under his fingertips and the sound she made –

"Booth!" Brennan called and Booth was pulled from his revelry. "Booth." She said again in an annoyed tone, motioning him to her side.

"Sorry, Bones. What's up?" He asked, glad she wasn't able to read his mind.

Stretching as she stood up she began, "Female. Probably fifteen to twenty years old. I'm not sure about race yet." Brennan paused and stared down at the body, still puzzling over the mixed racial indicators.

"Cause of death?" Booth prompted.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'd bet the big hole in her chest has something to do with it." Brennan moved away from him and knelt down on the other side of the body, gently moving the soil away from the bones.

"How long has she been out here?" Booth asked.

"Probably three to five months." She answered thoughtfully.

Booth watched her work for a few more moments before he asked, "Do you need any help?"

"No Booth, I don't need you." She replied shortly, not looking up from the remains. He waited for her to finish that she didn't need his help, but she left it at not needing him.

"Whatever. I'm gonna look around a bit." Booth said.

He headed off in the opposite direction from his partner figuring that if he spent much more time around Bones they would end up fighting in the middle of a crime scene._ I swear, sometimes I could strangle that woman._ Booth thought as he dodged the various trees and bushes, his mind not very focused on the task at hand. _How can she just deny what's between us? What the hell can I say to her to convince her that the world won't end if we are together?_ _I don't see how after last night_ …

"Ooof!" He grunted as he stepped into a hole and fell to the ground. Looking around he realized he was in a pit that had been dug recently, a pit that was just about his size. Rubbing his elbow where it banged on a root he stood up and stepped out of the hole. As he took a few steps back to look at it he was puzzled. Booth had been around enough sites like this lately and he knew he was looking at a crime scene where a body had been removed. When he moved closer to inspect he could even see where the techs had taken core samples from the surrounding soil. It was obvious that the scene had been active in the last few days. Stepping back from the pit he looked up at the sky, the clouds had been growing darker and more ominous as the morning went on. _I should get Bones over here soon to see this. _He took a couple pictures with his phone, carefully noted the surrounding landmarks and headed back to their current crime scene.

--

Booth's cell phone range and he smiled in spite of himself when he saw 'Bones' come up on the caller id. He had patiently been waiting for the last several hours for an update on the case. _Ok, so not patiently, but…_Bones had been fairly quiet when he returned to the crime scene. After the remains were bagged, she followed him the to pit he had discovered. She spent a half and hour examining every bit of the scene, but she didn't share her observations. When he pressed, she had snapped that she "needed time to figure out what it all meant."

She had also refused his attempt to accompany her to the Jeffersonian saying that she would spend the next few hours with the remains and she would call when there was something to report. He had no idea what was due to the case and what was due to their personal situation. In the meantime, he had been working on the identity from missing person reports, but there were too many matches until Bones narrowed down the characteristics for him

"Booth," he said snapping open his phone.

"Hi Booth, it's me. I've got a few more details for you." Brennan said and Booth reached for a pen to write down the new info.

"Yeah, that will definitely be helpful. There are so many of these reports." He said.

"Also, the cause of death is a shotgun blast to the chest." She added. Booth heard her take a deep breath before continuing. "There is no way to be certain, and it is probably just a coincidence, but the wound appears similar to the body Cam worked on the other day."

"You think that might have been the other body that was removed?" He asked following her line of thinking.

"I don't know. Like I said, it is probably just a coincidence, but … do you think you could look into it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Sure Bones. I'll come by later and we can swap stories." He suggested. He still had hopes of finally being able to talk to her today.

"I don't know Booth. I think tomorrow would be better. Yes, why don't you come by tomorrow morning? I should have most of what you need by then." She finished, talking faster as she went on.

"Sure Bones. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Booth ended the call but didn't put his phone away. He had no intention of letting things wait until tomorrow.

"Hey Ben, it's Seeley. I need a favor."

--

Brennan left the lab a little after ten thirty. She was shocked to step out into the snowy night. She had been so wrapped up in her work that she hadn't realized it had started to snow. Heading towards her car she hoped she still had an ice scraper in it somewhere. After her publisher had given her this car, she had sold her Jeep. Parking was too expensive for two cars and last winter she hadn't even used the Jeep as Booth drove her everywhere she needed to go. _Booth._ She groaned inwardly. She had half expected Booth to show up at the lab, despite her orders to stay away. _I guess I must have been bitchy enough he wants to stay away, _she thought regretfully.

The drive home took her almost thirty minutes longer than usual thanks to the snowy conditions. She was relieved when she pulled into her space and shut the car off. Driving the sports car in weather like this wasn't easy or fun. _I may need to make some other transportation arrangements this winter – especially if Booth won't be around as much_.

She hadn't been home long when her doorbell rang. "Booth!" She said in surprise as she opened the door. She hadn't expected to see him tonight, especially once she had gotten home and she had stayed at the lab a little longer than she needed to ensure that. He brushed past her into the apartment, not waiting for her to invite him in.

"You worked late enough."

"Yes, well I was working on the shotgun wound. How did you know I just got home?" Brennan asked suspicious that he'd arrived on her doorstep ten minutes after she herself had gotten home.

"Ben called me when you left," Booth explained casually.

"Ben." She said thoughtfully, trying to remember who he was. "You asked the security guard to spy on me?" She asked incredulously when the name finally triggered something in her memory.

"Not really spy, just tell me when you left." Booth said as he slipped off his coat and laid it across one of the kitchen chairs. Brennan smoothed her sweater, glad that she hadn't already changed into her pajamas. He looked at her intently and for once she knew what he was thinking and she shook her head.

He moved closer to her and said. "Look Bones. It's not that hard. You either want to be with me or you don't."

"It's not that simple." She insisted. "I mean, what about our careers? We have both worked hard to get to where we are today and I don't want to do anything to mess that up."

"Right, cause the fact we are having sex makes you a bad forensic anthropologist and me a crappy cop." He agreed sarcastically.

"That's how the defense attorneys will make it sound." She argued.

"Then we will be careful." Booth walked over to Bones who had begun to pace and stopped her, placing his hand on her arm. He wanted to look her in the eyes, to see what she was really trying to tell him. "Bones." He said softly, but she didn't look up. "Temperance." He said more insistently, applying a bit of pressure to her arm and she finally looked up him.

"What happened? The other night at dinner you said you would try and it's only been a couple days. If I did something …" He trailed off, hoping she would jump in.

"You didn't Booth."

"Then what is it? Don't you feel … that way about me?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I do, Booth. Of course I do."

"I like you. You like me. We like being together. Why isn't that enough?"

"I don't know," she answered pulling away from him. "It just isn't."

She watched him for a moment from her safety of her new spot across the room realizing that she could no longer tell what he was thinking. Though from his body language she could tell that he was tense.

"Fine Bones, you know what, I quit!" He yelled throwing his hand up in frustration. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to convince you that we belong together. I've done everything I can think of and it's obviously not enough."

"Booth," Brennan said, but he didn't pay any attention.

"Christ Bones, I've been there for you whenever you needed me. I've gotten in trouble at work because of you; I've risked my career for you. I even threatened to commit murder for you and what? You can have a relationship with any jackass on the street and not me?" Booth paused taking a deep breath before he finished. "And I've never asked for anything from you."

Brennan stared at him, momentarily shaken by his revelations. _Who did he threaten to kill?_ _Had he really done all that for her? _She wondered, knowing it to be true. When she finally met his gaze, the hurt in his eyes shocked her. Her normally lightening fast mind was bogged down in too many thoughts and emotions and she couldn't form a response before Booth continued, having taken her silence as agreement.

"You always said that you didn't believe in relationships, but I was an idiot. I thought that I could change that, thought I could show you … but obviously I was wrong." Booth stopped evidently waiting for an answer, but her mind still refused to engage.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Booth asked, "Or are you really as cold and unfeeling as everyone thinks you are."

Brennan felt as if his words had physically hurt her. _He knows I have feelings_, she thought weakly. Some part of her mind told her that Booth had probably said that to get a response out of her, to shake her out of her wordless stupor, but she suddenly felt a rage burn through her.

"Why is it always me? Why is it always my issues? Why am I the one who has to change?" Brennan said advancing on Booth. "You have issues too Booth, but we don't talk about them and anytime I try to bring something up you refuse to discuss it."

"My issues are not preventing us from being happy together." Booth said pointing to his chest.

"Are you sure?" Brennan asked. She was angry now, angry that it was always her fault and angry that Booth had turned her world upside down once and he was trying to do it again. "You never talk about your family. You don't exactly have the best record with relationships either and your alpha male behaviors have a lot more effect on your life than you realize. You haven't had a long-term relationships since Tessa and she left because you wouldn't commit. And then there's the fact that you have a son you barely see whose mother wouldn't …"

"No." Booth said, his voice low and menacing. He took another step toward her and she was almost frightened, instantly realizing what she had said. "Don't you ever talk about Parker like that!"

He rounded on his heel and stomped towards the front door, stopping to spit out the words, "It's over," before slamming the door behind him.

Brennan jumped as a lamp crashed to the floor, shaken off its table by the force of the door shutting._ Oh my god, what did I say? _Brennan thought as she stood shaking in the middle of her living room. _I can't believe…I didn't mean. _She sank down onto the floor, forgetting about the glass shards from the lamp until one embedded itself in her wrist.

"Shit!" She exclaimed as she pulled the sliver of glass out. She watched as a small river of blood ran down her arm and onto the floor. The pain and the blood pulled her mind back to reality. Taking a deep breath she stood up on unsteady feet and walked slowly into her kitchen, grabbing a paper towel to clean up her arm. She focused only on the task at hand, carefully cleaning up the blood and applying a bandage, but phrases from the night kept jumping into her mind in random order.

Standing in her kitchen Brennan felt shell-shocked. The things that he had said and what she had said. What Booth had said had hurt. He had basically told her he was giving up on her, giving up on them. But what she had said was worse. She hadn't meant to bring up Parker; she just wanted him to hurt like she did. The way he had said, "it's over" before he left. _He meant it. All of it is over. The friendship, the partnership, and the relationship._ She remembered the tone of voice Booth had used when he left. It was so cold and indifferent. It was the voice he usually used with murders, not with her. What scared her most though was the look in his eyes. By the time he had left, all of the love and hurt had been replaced by anger.

She had thought he would always be there, if and when she decided she wanted more than a friendship. _Maybe that wasn't fair to him_. Brennan tried to imagine what her life would be like without Booth. She had had a life before him, a life that she used to consider full and meaningful. A life of 80-hour workweeks spent entirely in the lab and men she slept with recreationally. As happy as she had been, or had thought she was, she couldn't imagine going back to her previous life. A life where she felt more like an observer of the world and less like a participant in it.

There was no denying it. She had changed. Working with Booth had changed her. Their friendship had changed her. He had integrated himself into her life so seamlessly that it was impossible for her to imagine her future without him. _Then why the hell didn't you just tell him that? _She wondered reproachfully, both knowing and hating the answer. It's cause she was scared. She hated to be afraid of anything. Once she had gotten into college and her life settled down a bit, she promised herself she would never be scared again. When she did come across fears she confronted them head on, feeling a sense of control and accomplishment when she overcame them. But this time she had dodged, and parried, and ran for all she was worth, perhaps loosing something precious in the process.

Suddenly she knew what she had to do; if she didn't see him right now it would be too late. Grabbing her coat she quickly shrugged it on. While she didn't relish going back out into the snowy weather, she knew she didn't have a choice. She did not want a life without Booth, even if they could only be friends or partners.

--

Brennan concentrated on keeping her car moving forward, peering out the small hole that had finally melted on her windshield. The weather had seriously deteriorated in the short time she had been at home. The plows were unable to keep up with the new snowfall and her car barely had enough clearance to keep going. Again, she cursed her lack of forethought in selling the Jeep. It just hadn't seemed urgent since Booth was always there to drive her anyway. She felt a twinge in her stomach at the thought of Booth and pushed down on the accelerator.

"Shit!" She shouted when a large truck sped around her covering her window with melted snow. With her view momentarily blurred she pressed down on the break pedal and felt the car lose traction. She tried furiously to correct the slide, tuning into the skid as she had been taught, but it was no use. She felt helpless as her car slid sideways slamming to a stop when it hit the snow bank on the side of the road. Brennan tried, without much hope, driving forwards and then backwards, but the car was not moving.

Hot tears welled up in her eyes and she slammed the steering wheel in frustration. All she wanted was to get to Booth's apartment and tell him she was sorry and how much she needed him, but here she was stuck in a damn blizzard. When she opened her door the air was so cold it felt like something was piercing her lungs with each breath. She stared out across the city, allowing herself to acknowledge the beauty as the big snowflakes fell to earth, before cursing the weather again. She surveyed her situation with an impending sense of desperation. There was no way she was moving her car without help and even if she could break free of the snow bank, she didn't think it would be long before she ended up stuck in another one.

Glancing around for a taxi she noticed there wasn't much traffic on the road and the traffic there was didn't seem concerned about her situation. Sighing she grabbed her purse and locked the car. It was only about twenty minutes to Booth's apartment from here; she could walk.

_Why the hell didn't I at least wear gloves? Or decent shoes?_ She asked as she stumbled along in the snow. It was freezing and she was beginning to wonder if she would actually make it when she saw his building break through the white horizon. Relief swept over her and she picked up her pace. Her teeth chattered as she pulled open the door and headed up the stairs. She paused to collect herself before she knocked; in all the drama of getting here she almost forgot why she was coming.

The doorbell sounded throughout his apartment, but there was no movement inside. She waited a few minutes longer, before trying it again. Still no answer. Pulling the cell phone out of her purse she hit the speed dial, which wasn't easy with her frozen fingers, but his phone went straight to voicemail. She closed the phone and collapsed against his door, sliding down it till she was sitting on the floor. The tears threatened again and this time she didn't stop them, but sat crying and shivering outside his door.

--

Booth slowly eased the big SUV out of the parking lot. The four-wheel drive did its job and the truck took off down the road without sliding. He finally felt ready to go home; he certainly hadn't been after leaving Bones' place. Temperance Brennan. Someone he definitely didn't want to think about anymore tonight. He had stopped at a bar on the way home, looking to forget what had happened with the help of a certain brown liquor, but it took him an hour to finish the first glass. As the snow continued, he left the bar with a full bottle of whisky and a revised plan of drinking at home.

He was thankful when he finally parked his car and he found himself hoping, for more than one reason, that there would be no dead bodies demanding his attention until morning. Stopping to get his mail, he sorted through it mindlessly as he walked down the hall, not seeing the person huddled on his doorstep until he was right next to her.

"Bones?" He asked in disbelief as he looked down at the soaked and shivering woman before him.

"Booth … I'm … sorry," She said, so cold it was hard for her to talk. He knelt down next to her, immediately forgetting how angry he had been, and brushed his hand across her face.

"Bones, you're freezing! Your lips are blue. What the hell is going on?"

She tried to answer, but she was shaking so hard he couldn't understand. He thought he caught the words car and stuck. _She tried to drive that stupid car over here! _He realized, angry with himself for not answering his phone when she called.

"Come on Bones, let's get you inside." Booth said as he picked her up. For once in her life she didn't fight him and he carried her inside, amazed at how little she weighed. So much fight and spirit contained in one small body.

Depositing her on the couch he found a blanket and wrapped it around her. "I'm sorry," she struggled again to say. He took her icy hands in his, not wanting to see her this way, so focused on apologizing she didn't care that she was practically hypothermic.

"It's alright Bones. Everything is gonna be alright." Booth said softly and was surprised to realize that he actually believed it. When he had left her apartment and told her it was over, he'd meant it. He was done with her, but now that she was in front of him he knew it would never be over. Not completely. Not for him.

Booth stopped rubbing her hands and they were slightly warmer when he released them. "We need to get you warm or you're gonna get sick." He said as he helped her up. As he led her towards the bathroom he stopped and turned the heat up. "Hot water is going to be the best way, I think."

Shutting the bathroom door behind him he settled Brennan on the toilet and turned on the shower. She struggled out of her wet coat and Booth stared at a dark red stain on her right sleeve.

"You are bleeding," Booth said concerned, sliding her sleeve up to get a better view.

"It's nothing, it was a small piece of glass. I already got it out."

Booth dabbed at the wound gently with a wet cloth. "Glass from your car? Did you wreck?"

"No the glass was from a lamp and the car is just stuck." She said as she shivered again.

Booth placed a butterfly bandage on her wrist and covered it with tape. "Time for you to get in the shower." He said. When he didn't move she gave him an annoyed look. "I'll turn around, but I'm not leaving you alone." He turned around and it seemed to pacify her, as he heard no further protests.

"My hands are too cold," she said after a moment. " I can't work the buttons." He turned and began to unbutton her shirt pausing for a moment when he reached the bottom before unbuttoning her pants for her as well.

"You know," He said with a devious grin, "there are other ways to warm you up."

"Very funny Booth. Turn around." She commanded and climbed into the shower.

The water was nice and hot and she closed her eyes and let the warmth flow over her. After a couple minutes she stopped trembling and felt warm for the first time in several hours. She felt reassured now that she had seen Booth; she felt so much better when she was with him. _God this has been the longest day!_ Realizing she was exhausted she sat down on the bottom of the tub.

"Booth?" She called out into the cloud of steam, unsure if he was still in the room.

When he answered she said. "I'm sorry. I should never have said anything about Parker. You're a good father Booth and I know that."

"Thanks." He said shifting on the floor where he sat. "I'm sorry too. I think we both said things we probably shouldn't have, but you're here now. Are you warming up?"

"Yes, I think I am ready to get out now." She said standing back up.

"I left some clothes here for you. I'll wait outside."

Brennan got dressed slowly, the shorts and shirt Booth had loaned her were huge and she had to laugh at her reflection in the mirror. Drying her hair with the towel a final time she swallowed nervously and went in search of Booth. She didn't have to look far. He was lying on his bed, but he stood up quickly when she opened the bathroom door. She gave him a shy smile and he opened his arms. She vacillated for only a second before moving toward him. There were still things that needed to be said, but for now she was happy and warm completely enveloped in his loving embrace.

--

No evil cliffhanger here, though I was tempted. The next chapter will have a good one though! Anyway, two more chapters, which will focus more on the case. Please review and let me know what you thought.


	7. A rock and a …

Chapter 7 – A rock and a …

Well, it's been a while, but you might be happy to know that one of my (secret) New Years resolutions involves being a better fanfic writer, which in turn involves more timely posting!

Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter (now over 100!). They were quite nice, they made me want to update quicker, alas want and actually having time to do it are two different things.

Edited 1/8 – Yes! Alerts and reviews seem to be working again. I got a late start on the next chapter but I hope to have it up by the end of the week.

--

The storm had subsided by the time Brennan awoke, leaving the city covered in a blanket of pure white snow. The view from the window was entirely white and she wondered how much snow had fallen, but there was no way she was going to get up out of the warm bed to look. Shivering as she remembered last night's wintry trek, she snuggled in closer to Booth who was lying behind her with his arms wrapped firmly around her. _Like he is trying to protect me even in his sleep._ She thought, only slightly annoyed at the patriarchal undertones, and unable to keep a satisfied smile from spreading across her face.

Last night's fight seemed like a distant memory and she hoped they could just move on and not revisit it. As for other aspects of last night, well she could hardly wait until they were repeated. Almost as if he could read her mind, Booth stirred and began kissing her on the neck. "Mmm. Good morning Booth." She said idly.

"Morning Bones." Booth said propping himself up on his elbow and finally unwinding his arms. She leaned up to kiss him before settling back down into the bed.

"Were you afraid I was going to go somewhere during the night?" She asked indicating his arms.

He smiled and said, "You never know Bones, and I'm beginning to think keeping you safe is a full time job."

"I am perfectly capable of defending myself, though having a gun would help." She replied pointedly.

"Yeah," Booth said ignoring her plea for a weapon, "I meant keeping you safe from yourself. Making sure you don't go driving sports cars in blizzards, running off after criminals, that sort of thing."

"Ha ha, Booth." She said rolling her eyes at him. He ignored the gesture and concentrated again on kissing her neck. Brennan ran her hands over the tight muscles of his abdomen and waist, enjoying both his reaction and the way his skin felt under her fingers. His kisses had progressed steadily downward and she felt a familiar heat flooding her body. Suddenly an image of the skeleton on her table jumped into her mind and she froze.

"What's wrong?" Booth asked pulling away. He could tell that her mood had just totally shifted.

"It's nothing," She insisted and moved towards him again, but he didn't believe her.

"Bones," He said edgily. Now he was afraid she was going to freak out on him, as she had done last time they had woken up together. He really didn't think he could take that again.

She sighed and looked up at him. "I just remembered what we have to do today."

"I'm assuming that doesn't mean laying in bed all day." Booth said expressionless.

"We will probably get the ID on the girl today-"

"Which means that later we could be telling someone their child is dead." Booth finished for her. She nodded, looking sad. _At least it wasn't regret and more 'we can't do this,' _He thought, feeling both relieved and guilty at the same time.

The cases they worked on affected her; he knew that even if she rarely let it show. Though how much they affected her, he reflected as he studied her, he didn't know. She spent so much time immersed in her work; it was her escape. Well that and her writing, which was basically a fictional account of how they spent their days. He too had trouble sometimes, trouble letting go of the death and destruction he spent his days wrapped up in, but he had other outlets and hobbies. He worried about her because she didn't have much besides work.

"It's hard Bones, I know." He said gently, pulling her tight against his body.

She looked at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes. "I just need to get to the lab and work on the ID." She paused before she continued. It's be nice being with someone who understands..."

He agreed with her about that. "You're forgetting one detail thought," Booth said.

"What?" She answered, wrinkling up her forehead and she searched for the missing detail.

Booth rolled over on his side and said, "And just how do you think you are going to get to work today? Dogsled?"

She gave him an impish grin and said, "Luckily I know an FBI agent with a really big … truck."

--

"So," Brennan said starting to recap the case as Booth carefully steered the big SUV through the snowy and mostly empty streets. " We have the first victim, a Caucasian male approximately 22 years old. He was killed by a shotgun blast to the chest at close range. Premortem injuries indicate that the man was fighting with someone before he was killed. His teeth seemed to indicate that he was a heavy methamphetamine user."

"He was found with a really nice watch and an Ipod." Booth added. "If he was doing that many drugs it had to be expensive. You think he would have pawned the watch."

"Right," Brennan nodded. "His wallet and his clothing weren't high quality, so I would question how he afforded the drugs."

"The female victim was 20 and was of Asian ancestry." Brennan continued. "She died from a shotgun wound to the back. There were no signs of any other violence on her body. She was wearing a bracelet that appeared to be diamond. Hodgins was going to look at the gems to determine if they are real, but I think they are."

"So we're left with two victims, found buried within half a mile, both died from shotgun wounds and appear to be drug users." Booth summarized.

"Do you think there were just some kids who got mixed up with drugs and the bad crowd?" Brennan asked, eager to hear her partners read on the situation.

"I don't think so," Booth said shaking his head. "Something feels off about this case." He waited for Bones to make a joke about solving cases with his gut, but she seemed to be genuinely listening to him. He felt himself puff up a bit before he continued.

"Both bodies were found close to Senator Boyd's estate and the thing with the medical examiner and the male body. You really think Cam was up to something?"

"Well I don't have any proof, but -"

"You feel it in your gut." He said teasingly.

"Yes," She replied quietly, not wanting him to take too much credit.

Booth smiled his charm smile, but wisely chose not to comment. "I'm going to work on getting the remain from the first body for you to examine. Our first step, after identification, should be to determine if both deaths are related."

"I agree," She said.

It was quiet in the car as they both pondered the facts of the case. Though the driving was slow, it helped that most of the city had decided to stay at home. Booth pulled over next to her car, which had been further plowed into the snow bank overnight. "Well your car isn't going anywhere without some help. I know a guy, I'll call him." He got out of the truck and cleared away enough snow for Brennan to get the files out of her car.

"Who did you threaten to kill?" She asked once they were driving again, remembering his earlier words.

"What?" Booth said looking away from the road at her, surprised by her sudden change of topic.

"You said you had threatened to kill someone for me, or because of me." Brennan asked hesitantly, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.

Booth waited a minute then said, "That gang leader you beat up put a hit out on you. I convinced him to call it off."

"Oh," She said as a shiver ran up her spine; someone had wanted to kill her and she hadn't even known it.

"You never told me why you beat him up."

"He was a gang leader. Isn't that a good enough reason?" Brennan asked. Booth just raised his eyebrows at her. Now it was her turn hesitate. "Ok. Several years ago I was taken captive by Salvadorian insurgents for three days while working on a mass grave. He reminded me of their leader and I guess I wanted some form of revenge." She spoke quickly and watched Booth carefully out of the corner of her eye for his reaction.

The though of Bones kidnapped by gun toting South American thugs caused his teeth to grind and his knuckles to turn white on the steering wheel. He had a million questions about her revelation, but being familiar with wartime captivity he figured this wasn't the best time or place to discuss it. Instead, he said swallowed hard and forced his voice to sound upbeat, "See, there we go. We're already working on our communication skills." He switched lanes and turned into the employee parking lot at the Jeffersonian pulling up in front of the entrance to the forensics lab.

"This whole thing," he motioned to the two of them, "will probably make us better investigators."

Brennan gathered her materials from the car and stared to open the door. She stopped with her fingers on the handle.

"You're not coming in?" She asked, realizing that he hadn't parked.

"I've got some things to do this morning. Hopefully I'll be back later with a body for you." She perked up at the mention of the body and Booth wondered how he had ended up with a woman that would rather get a dead body than a gift. _Just one of the things that I love about her,_ he admitted silently.

"Be careful." He said suddenly

"Booth," she said with a laugh, "I'm just going to be in the lab, what could happen?"

"Don't say that." He said seriously

"Just kiss me and promise that you will be careful." He said. She rolled her eyes, but carried out his instructions.

He waited and watched her walk into the building, not focused on the sway of her hips or the splash of hair across her shoulders as he usually was. He almost felt sick at the prospect of letting her out of his sight. _Kidnapped by insurgents?_ He added that to the list of deadly situations he tracked in his mind. _Frozen in a blizzard, kidnapped while working in another country, murdered by an obsessed serial killer, hurt because of her father, silenced by someone who didn't want her to testify…._ Shaking his head, he forced himself to end the list. As he pulled back into traffic, he realized that he wasn't sure if he was going to survive Temperance Brennan, but at least it promised to be quite a ride.

--

The town was still a virtual ghost town, populated only by plows, cars abandoned along the road now covered in snow, and few hearty souls making their way slowly along in large four wheel drives when Booth headed back to the Jeffersonian later that day. It had been a fruitful morning considering that the entire city was shut down. It was an unusual sight to see Washington D.C. so still, especially when Congress was in session, but even the mighty politicians couldn't best mother nature.

He'd been able to get a hold of the proper people to release the remains of the first body to the Jeffersonian, though not everyone had been happy to be called at home on a snowy morning and he had spent too much time on the phone for his liking. He was more action oriented and didn't always look forward to the meticulous detail parts of the investigation, that was more his partner's thing.

Bones was working quietly by herself on the elevated platform. She didn't seem to notice his presence until he scanned in his access card. Looking up from the microscope, Booth saw her expression morph from concentration to a something else as a smile lit up her face. He returned the smile, wanting to kiss her, but knowing she would never allow that behavior in the lab. He settled for a quick touch on her arm as he moved to stand next to her.

"I think I have managed to isolate the dispersal pattern of the shotgun pellets. I should be able to determine if both wounds were caused by the same gun." She said, obviously pleased with herself.

"That's great cause the body should be here this afternoon, or probably tomorrow," he said reconsidering due to the weather.

"Nice!" She said flashing another brilliant smile.

Booth felt his pulse quicken, but forced himself to focus on the case. "Any luck with the ID?" He asked taking a seat next to her.

"No," Brennan shook her head and her expression turned darker. "Angela left a note that the teeth were too badly corrupted for dental identification. I haven't found anything distinctive in the bones yet that could be used for ID."

Booth reached out and brushed a finger on her cheek. "We'll find out who she is Bones." He said reassuringly. He knew how upset she got when she couldn't identify a body. "Maybe when we get the ID of the guy it will lead us to her."

Brennan seemed reassured by this thought and asked, "Was it the body Cam was working on?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Let's go question Cam." Brennan said, quickly rising from the chair and grabbing her lab coat.

"Whoa, slow down Bones." Booth said, stepping in front of her to cut off her path. "We can't just march into her office and start demanding answers."

"Yes we can, that's what we do." She answered slightly confused.

"I know, I meant … maybe I should be the one to talk to Cam … alone." He finished.

She seemed taken aback and asked softly, "Because you were lovers?"

"No, Bones. It has nothing to do with that, and I hate that word by the way." He stood up and pulled the poker chip out of his pocket and tossed it into the air. "You guys have clashed on this case already and it might be better if I ask the tough questions. There is a better chance she will tell the truth." He explained.

A pang of jealousy shot through her at the thought of Booth and Cam alone. _Our relationship is brand new and here I am already jealous. I guess some things are anthropological inevitabilities, _she thought with a groan. Booth walked over to her desk and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You work on the specifics of the shotgun and I'll work on Cam." He said before walking out of her office.

Booth wasn't looking forward to questioning Cam, though he was glad that she was still at home. It would be easier to get her to talk if they weren't at the lab. His gut was telling him that she was somehow involved. Despite all that had happened since she had arrived at the Jeffersonian, he had, at one time, cared a great deal about her and he hoped his suspicions didn't turn out to be correct. As her drove slowly towards Cam's apartment, he organized the evidence in his head.

"Wow! To what do I owe this honor?" Cam asked sarcastically when she answered the door.

"Hello to you too Cam." He said. "Can I come in?" he asked. Cam stood her ground for a few seconds and then stepped aside allowing him in. His eyes automatically scanned the apartment.

"What is this about Seeley?" She asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I've got some questions for you. Why don't we sit?" He said gesturing towards the table.

"You are aware that we found a body yesterday," He began awkwardly.

"Right," Cam said quickly. "I believe Dr. Brennan identified it as a 20 year old female."

"And do you know cause of death?" Booth asked.

"I don't believe Dr. Brennan has made her final determination, although a gun shot wound seems likely."

"While Brennan was working on the excavation, I found another crime scene about ten minutes away. A body had been removed within the last couple days." He said carefully.

Cam took a sudden interest in a candle on her table and asked without looking up, "Did you find out who did the removal?"

"Apparently the case was handled early this week by the D.C. Medical Examiners office, but I'm having trouble getting much information out of them." He stopped and studied Cam's reaction carefully, but her face was masked and her eyes dark.

"Did you assist the medical examiner with a removal at a scene by Hyde park early this week?"

She stood up from the table and looked down at him. "Is this an official FBI investigation?" She asked harshly.

"Not yet," Booth said shaking his head. "Though we are officially investigating the young woman's death."

"Well I'm sorry Booth," Cam said shaking her head. "I'm not going to comment on the case I assisted on unless it is an official investigation. If you think you can get information from me just because we … have a past, you are wrong."

Booth sighed and stood up to face her. "Then I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asked puzzled.

"I have made a request for the remains of the victim you worked on to be transported back to the Jeffersonian."

"What?" Cam gasped.

"Brennan thinks that the shotgun wound on the female in similar to the one on the male victim that you allowed her to briefly examine. I bet that she will prove the connection by tomorrow and the case should be under my jurisdiction shortly. Then we can have this conversation down at FBI headquarters."

Cam's face turned pale and she sat back down. _Goddamn that woman! Why did I let her look at that body?_ Cam thought desperately.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me?" He said. Cam shook her head. "If there is anything unusual about the body you worked on Brennan will find out. You know that right?"

"Booth, I don't know what you think I-"

"Camille," he said cutting her off. "We will find out what happened. I am giving you a chance here before this investigation goes too far; a chance I wouldn't give to just anyone."

She dropped her head into her hands and when she straightened back up, there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry Seeley. I never meant to screw up an investigation … I just couldn't stay and he told me that if I …." Cam's speech descended into a sob and Booth allowed her a moment to compose herself before he continued the interrogation.

"What did you do Cam?" He asked in a tone that signaled he wasn't to be lied to.

"I took something," She finally said. "From the scene. He told me that if I did this he could get me a job."

"What did you take?" He asked

"A phone," she whispered.

Sitting back Booth rubbed his hand across his face. He could feel a dull pounding begin in his temples. He didn't want Cam to be involved in this.

"Who asked you to do this?" He asked, fearing the answer.

She shook her head, "I can't tell you that Seeley."

"You have to." Booth insisted.

"Not yet I don't."

"Fine." Booth said and stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Cam cried. "What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it will be good. " He answered truthfully.

Cam grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "You have to help me Seeley. I made a mistake, but I can fix it. I can get you the phone." She offered desperately. "I'll get you the phone and you don't have to mention me."

"I can't do that Cam."

"Yes you can. You are the only one that knows. I'll give you the phone and you guys can investigate the case. That's the only thing I did. I swear." Cam knew she sounded crazy, but she had to make him understand.

Booth frowned at her. "I'm gonna have to tell Brennan."

"No! If you tell Brennan my career will be over. She'll report me and I will lose my certification. I'm a good pathologist and you know that Booth." It seemed she was starting to convince him, so she kept going. "I don't deserve to have my career ruined over one mistake. Think of how many criminals I've put away."

Booth sighed and ran his hand through his hair. His head was really pounding now. "Camille," he began in a resigned tone.

"Seeley, please." Cam said cutting him off. The tears were running freely down her face now. "I've already got another job lined up, and it's not related to this," She added quickly at his look. "I'm moving to Texas to spend a few years doing penance working for the medical examiners office. After I took the phone I couldn't go through with it. That's why I still have it." Cam took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Please don't tell her. It was a mistake that will never happen again. I haven't been happy here and I was just trying to find a way out. Please." She begged one final time.

"Get me that phone by tomorrow morning," was all Booth said before he shut the door behind him.

--

"So what did Cam have to say?" Brennan asked when Booth called.

Booth cleared his throat, trying to indicate that he wasn't comfortable over the phone. "I'll fill you in on it tonight."

"What's tonight?" Brennan asked, trying to remember if there was something going on that she had forgotten about.

"Nothing. I just assumed that you and I would, you know get together tonight."

"Oh," She said with an embarrassed laugh. "Of course. Why don't you come over to my place after work and we can cook something."

"Sounds good. I'll pick up some groceries and show you some real Italian cooking. I'll see you tonight, Bones."

Booth ended the call and stared down at the phone in his hands. He had no idea what he was going to tell her. Cam was right; she had made a mistake, but she shouldn't have her career ruined over it. Especially if all she did was take the evidence and she returned it. Of course, Brennan would report her to … whomever they report things like this to. He didn't blame Bones for it; it's part of who she is, though there isn't exactly an overabundance of well-qualified forensic pathologists in the world. But Bones was his partner. She was more than that now and he couldn't lie to her, even if it was to protect an old friend, could he?

--

Please let me know what you thought.

I think there is only one more chapter, but sometimes the chapters get a little long so I split them. On a related note, how do you guys feel about chapter size? I looked at a few other stories on this site and the chapters seem to be shorter than mine. It won't really affect this story, but anyone have a preference, short or long chapters?


	8. High Standards

Chapter 8 – High Standards

Here is the final chapter. I can't believe I actually finished another story, a story that was going to be a short tale about getting rid of Cam and it turned into an eight chapter melodrama!

Thanks to everyone for reading this story, and especially to the people who reviewed! Each review is like a little emailed gift.

It's another long chapter, so enjoy!

--

Careful to dodge the icy patches on the sidewalk, Booth shifted the bag of groceries in his arms and opened the door to the apartment complex. He trudged up the stairs slowly, for perhaps the first time dreading entering his partner's apartment. Hours of contemplation had left him with no real plan for dealing with the current situation. Cam had screwed up big time and he knew that, but he also knew that she was good at her job and dedicated to putting criminals in jail. At least she used to be; now he wasn't so sureand that's what had been bothering him. Tampering with evidence was a serious charge for someone in her position and Brennan wouldn't be the only one insisting she be punished. If Cam had truly done it out of an act of desperation to secure a new position and was going to leave and never be heard from again … _Stop it! _He ordered himself. He had been back and forth over the same arguments all day. Truthfully, he felt like he should help Cam.

Finally, he snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he should probably knock on the door since he had been standing in front of it for several minutes. He took a deep breath and knocked, deciding that he would be purposefully vague. Maybe he wouldn't have to flat out lie to Bones, he could just not tell her everything. Then Cam would be just a bad memory, they could solve the case and go on with their lives – together.

Booth heard Brennan call out 'Come on in.' He opened the door, incredulous that after everything they had been through she would leave her door unlocked. He found her in the kitchen concentrating intently on chopping up a cucumber. The smile she gave him when she looked up made him forget the sermon he was going to deliver on security. It was obvious that she had made an effort with her appearance for him and he definitely appreciated it. Her hair was still wet from a recent shower and was a bit more untamed than usual and she was wearing a pair of tight black pants and a surprisingly low-cut blouse. Setting the bag of groceries down he leaned back against the counter, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. As he did, he noticed that despite her sexy outfit, her feet were bare. _That's my girl,_ he thought.

"Hey, I'm trying to cook here you know." She said laughing, pouting for a second before giving in and kissing him.

"You're expecting someone for dinner?" He asked playfully.

"Well some sexy FBI agent was going to stop by, but we don't have to answer the door." She said, kissing him again.

"Which reminds me, keep your goddamn door lock Temperance." Booth said seriously. He unpacked the groceries onto the counter and Brennan eyed the contents suspiciously. "I promise you will like it." He said reassuringly.

They settled into a comfortable rhythm cooking. Booth moving around her kitchen as if it was his own. He could tell by her reticence to help that Bones didn't know much about cooking. _Finally, something the woman isn't an expert at._

"Booth, what did Cam say?" Brennan asked as Booth stirred the sauce over the stove. He was glad that his back was turned to her.

"No discussing work until after dinner."

--

"Wow Booth, that was really good." Brennan said once she had finished eating.

"Thanks, but you could try not to sound so surprised."

"It's just that I never knew you could cook." She explained.

"There are a few things you don't know about me Bones," he said as he began to clear the table.

"So now will you tell me what happened with Cam?" Brennan asked as the last dish was cleared from the table and he could tell that her patience was beginning to wane.

She waited expectantly, her face open and trusting in a way it only was with him. One look and he knew that he couldn't follow through on his plan of vagueness. Couldn't lie to her to out of some misguided sense of duty to an old friend. What would she think if she found out? He worried sometimes because the standards she set for herself and for others were impossibly high. He never wanted to fail her and he realized now that he was a better man because of it.

"Booth?" She asked at his continued silence, the soft smile on her face belying the edge of concern in her voice.

He sighed deeply and said, "Cam is involved."

"What? How?" She asked clearly surprised. Booth filled her in on what he had learned so far. All of it. Even the part where Cam begged him not to tell her. By the time he had finished Brennan was sitting uneasily next to him.

"You considered not telling me?" She asked, her voice conveying hurt and not the anger he had been expecting.

"Yes, but only because-"

"Because you wanted to help Cam," she said, a statement not a question.

"Well yes," Booth said. He raised his head up quickly to sneak a peak at her. From his glimpse of her face he couldn't tell how much trouble he was in so he quickly continued. "I knew that you would have professional obligations and I didn't want you to be caught in the middle of this."

Brennan said, "Also, I'm sure you feel guilty because of me. If I hadn't … and you and Cam had … she might not, anyway," she finished clearing her throat, "I understand Booth."

He was surprised by her reaction and by how well she had analyzed his motives.

"You thought that if we could solve the case without anyone finding out about Cam then nobody would get hurt. I get that and I'm glad that you told me, but Booth, I can't promise you that I am not going to report this. This is bad and you know it. Bad for Cam. Bad for the Jeffersonian. Bad for us."

He nodded his agreement. "I know." He said wearily.

Brennan told his hand and said, "Tomorrow morning we will talk to her. If we get the phone and she tells us with whom she was communicating - I do have an ethical obligation to report her, but … maybe I don't have to."

"No Bones," He said shaking his head. "I'm not asking you to do that."

"And I'm not promising." She spat back, surprised at how angry she sounded. Booth noticed her anger and tried to break the tension.

A sweet smile spread slowly across his face as he said sincerely, "I'm sorry Bones." She tried to pull her hand back but he held it firmly in his. "Now how are we gonna solve this case?" He asked after a moment passed. She silently held his gaze for several more seconds before accepting the proffered olive branch and they spent the rest of the evening envisioning and discarding various scenarios.

--

When Cam opened the door the next morning, it was obvious that the situation had been taking its toll on her. Brennan noted, with slight satisfaction, the large dark circles under her eyes and stringy unkept hair. She also took satisfaction in the change in Cam's facial expression once the door swung open enough to reveal that Booth hadn't come alone. Brennan caught the look of disappointment that Cam gave Booth, but chose to ignore it and pushed her way into the apartment. If it had been anyone else this situation would have been easier.

Despite what she had told Booth about her professional obligations she could see herself covering for a friend as long as the action didn't effect the investigation in anyway. Cam wasn't a friend though. Far from it in fact. She felt no sympathy for the woman's situation and didn't think that Cam would feel any different if the situation were reversed. Booth was the difference. He hadn't asked her. Hadn't wanted her to and she hadn't meant to, but here she was considering covering up for a woman she didn't even like.

The three went into the living room to sit down, Brennan and Booth together on the couch and Cam alone in a chair facing them. A small plastic bag was on the table in front of them. Recognizing and evidence bag, Brennan reached down to grab it. She was relieved to see that despite the dirt the phone seemed to be in good shape.

"What are we going to find when we run the numbers on this phone?" Booth asked.

Cam shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Obviously you have a suspicion or you would have never risked your career to steal it." Brennan said. When she finished speaking she felt Booth's hand tighten on her back. She knew it meant he didn't want her to speak anymore, but she didn't care. She saw no need to be considerate of Cam's feelings right now.

"I know that you asked Booth not to tell me about this." Brennan said bluntly. "If you don't want us to report this you had better tell us everything you know."

"Who contacted you?" Booth pressed, picking up where Brennan had let off.

Cam regarded the pair out of narrowed eyes, blowing her bangs out of her sight with a quick puff of breath. This had all gone so wrong. Instead of being with Booth as she had imagined, she was now forced to beg for mercy from him and the woman he loved. Cam dropped her head and looked at the table. She didn't want to see them sitting so close together that their legs were touching, Booth's arm slung around Brennan's waist, both obviously having found their match.

"Malcolm Jackson." Cam mumbled to the floor. She didn't want to tell them, she had been threatened with her life never to mention that name in relation to this case, and considering the threat was accompanied by dead bodies she tended to believe it. . _Anything to get them out of here._ Cam thought desperately. _To get away from their truth finding and self-righteousness and soul-mateness._

"Senator Boyd's top aide Malcolm Jackson?" Booth asked.

Cam nodded and Booth sprang up of the couch. "You got the phone?" He asked Brennan as he was already moving towards the door.

She grabbed the phone and started after him, but turned back to Cam who had followed them. "I expected better out of you; as a doctor and a pathologist. I am ashamed that the Jeffer-"

Cam anger and resentment boiled over. _I am not going to stand here and listen to a lecture from that woman. _Before she knew what she was doing she had pulled back her hand and attempted to hit Dr. Brennan in the face. Brennan reacted on instinct, her body recognizing seconds before her mind that Cam was going to hit her. Having seemingly effortlessly stopped the unexpected attack, she held Cam's wrist tightly in hers. She could feel Booth moving slowly behind her, coming closer. She tightened the pressure on Cam's arm and began to twist it until a gasp of pain escaped from Cam's mouth.

"Bones," Booth said sharply as he pulled her away from Cam. "Come on." He guided her through the apartment to the door.

"She's not worth it," Booth said his words full of conviction. They were the last words Cam heard before the door slammed shut behind them.

--

The gunshot wound from the male matched the dispersal pattern of the wound from the female. Brennan was almost positive. There were still some tests that needed to be run and Zach was already working on them, but she already knew that both wounds were from the same gun. She felt the buzz begin, the high that she sometimes got when she uncovered a clue or they had a break on a case. _It's all coming together. _ Brennan thought excitedly. It had been two hours since Booth had dropped her off and ten minutes since he had phoned to say he would pick her up outside shortly. There were still several things she wanted to double check before then so she turned her attention back to the skeleton.

Angela left her office and slowed as she walked past the elevated platform where Brennan was bent over a metal table. She swiped her card and joined her friend at the platform. It was clear that Brennan was in full scientist mode, teasing clues about life from bones of the dead. As Angela stood unnoticed, she studied her friend and concluded that despite the circumstances Brennan seemed to be happier than usual, a kind of happiness that was reflected not only in the hint of a smile on her face, but also in her eyes and a lightness around her.

"So I heard Cam is leaving," Angela said figuring she might as well get straight to the point. Brennan looked up from the table her look of surprise confirming Angela's notion that she hadn't been noticed.

"Hey Angela," Brennan said cautiously. Things between the two of them had been a bit icy all week. In truth, Brennan hadn't meant for the strain between them to continue, but she had been preoccupied with the case and especially with Booth.

"What did you hear?" She asked, trying to sound casual, but wondering any hint of the scandal had reached the gossip chain. If anyone would know, Angela would.

"Just that she is leaving effective immediately. Joe from archives said he heard that she was moving to Dallas. Cam really doesn't seem like the Texas type to me."

"Mmm." Brennan said as she turned toward the microscope, studying the edge of a broken piece of rib. Of course the first thing Angela wanted to discuss was the last thing that Brennan could tell her. _So much for mending the friendship when I have to pretend I don't know anything about Cam, _Brennan thought with a renewed surge of hatred. _I wish Booth had let me hit her._

"Ok I get it." Angela declared. "You don't want to talk about Cam. Anyone else you do want to talk about? Booth maybe…" She said in a suggestive voice.

Brennan looked up at her friend and smiled. "Actually yes, there are a few things we could talk about on that subject," blushing she continued, "but right now I have to meet him and solve a case." She gave Angela a smile and a quick squeeze on her should as she walked past her and off the platform.

"When this case is over we are going out!" Angela called out behind her.

Brennan waved her hand in acquiescence. Glancing at her watch as she hurried up the hallway she was dismayed to see that it was about twenty minutes later than she thought. She was surprised Booth hadn't called her to remind her that he was waiting outside. _He must have been late too,_ she realized. He had sounded excited when he had called. Not necessarily excited in a good way though. The fact that they were dealing with the top aide to a long time senator made Booth tense. He was always uptight when cases involved politicians and now that she had been around awhile she understood his concerns.

The tension was readily apparent on Booth's face when she crawled into the SUV several minutes later. She brushed her hand over across his cheek, wishing that she could ease of the worry. She loved the feel of his face under her fingers, the roughness from the short stubble on his face. He kissed her hand and then focused his attention on driving.

"Are we going after Malcolm?" She asked as he pulled onto the road.

"Not yet. I've got a couple agents watching him. We are still running some checks on phone calls made to and from his cell phone and the land line at his apartment."

"So what now?"

"We've got an address for Kevin Mabery. I thought we could poke around. Maybe talk to his neighbors." Booth looked over at her, "Maybe figure out the ID of that girl."

"Ok," Brennan said, appreciative that he had remembered how important that was to her. His phone rang and he answered it, only speaking several terse words, giving nothing away as to the content of the call.

"Turns out we're not the only ones interested in Malcolm. The DEA has just started investigating him for alleged ties to a Mexican drug smuggling ring. You'll never guess what drug," Booth said animatedly.

Brennan thought of the tests results that had been on her desk that morning. Hodgins had confirmed that the substance found on the decaying teeth had been methamphetamine and had been chemically identical. "Meth." She said more to herself than out loud. "Senator Boyd's aid was selling meth?"

"Not just selling meth, the DEA guy said it's a pretty big operation. Were talking tons." Booth shook his head. "Law enforcement has really cracked down on the meth labs in the United States, I guess they're gonna get if from somewhere."

Brennan turned towards Booth and opened her mouth to argue about America's tactics in the war on drugs, but before she could open her mouth he cut her off.

"No way Bones." He said managing to sound both serious and teasing at the same time. "I'm not up for another debate on drug policies."

"That's because you are afraid I will win," She said smugly. Booth eyed her from across the truck.

"I don't suppose you've ever done any illegal drugs." Booth asked suddenly curious. He noticed that she squirmed in her seat.

"Nothing that was illegal at the time. In the spirit of the anthropological experience there was something smoked once in Nepal and," Brennan paused as she remembered the experience, "a hallucinogen once in the jungle."

"Was that the time you were naked for like two weeks?" Booth asked amazed once again by her strange and varied experiences.

"Yes it was." Brennan answered stubbornly.

Booth laughed and she was relieved when he pulled into the parking lot of a rundown apartment complex. They went straight to the superintendent's office where they were told that the apartment had been thoroughly cleaned and rented several months ago and anything left in the apartment had been donated to Goodwill as was their policy.

"So you didn't think there was anything strange about a guy just disappearing one night? Didn't think to call the cops or anything?" Booth asked incredulously.

"Look around man." He said raising his arms. "This place practically rents by the hour, you know what I mean? Lot of our tenants skip out in the middle of the night." The man gave a harsh laugh and said, "And most the time the cops are already lookin' for 'em. You guys are welcome to look around though." With that he dismissed Booth and Brennan went back to his computer, where based on what was on the monitor when they left, he spent most of his time looking at pornography.

Brennan rolled her eyes and Booth caught a muttered, "charming," as he followed her out the door. An hour later they had looked around the rundown complex and talked to the few people that would actually open the door to them.

"I'm sure they think we're cops. Or even immigration." Booth said clearly frustrated as their second trip the neighbor's apartment went unanswered. "I know they are in there. I can hear the tv."

"Booth," Brennan said tugging on his arm. When he turned to her she pointed down the hall and began walking. He caught up to her quickly.

"What?" He whispered.

"There's a girl who has been following us. I've seen her twice now."

"Kinda tall with long hair?" He asked as they continued down the hall.

"Yes," Brennan said as they stepped out the front door. "There!" She pointed at a girl who was stopped just down the street. The girl saw them and turned quickly and walked away. She tensed ready to chase the girl when she felt Booth's hand on her arm.

"Wait," He said as he started to walk casually down the sidewalk.

"Aren't we going to chase her? She's gonna get away Booth!" Brennan said unable to understand why they were letting her walk away.

"Watch her. She's not trying to lose us." Booth said under his breath still guiding her down the street by her arm.

Brennan studied the girl and immediately saw what Booth meant. The girl eyes swept the street from left to right and she only occasionally looked back at them. Brennan was hardly surprised when the girl took one last furtive look around and disappeared down a small side road. The girl was waiting for them around the corner and she gave Booth a quick look to let him know she was impressed.

"Are you guys looking for Kevin and Anne?" She asked as soon as they caught up to her. Brennan was surprised to see that the girl was younger than she thought, probably only fourteen or fifteen. Anne, the name shot through Brennan and she wondered if it belonged to the bones currently laid out on her table.

"Yes," Booth said kindly. "I am Agent Booth with the FBI and this is Dr. Brennan."

The girl nodded seriously at them. "I'm Christy," she said her voice barely above a whisper. Brennan had to strain to make out what she said next. "Are they dead?"

Booth looked at her and she knew he was waiting for her to tell confirm the death. Brennan looked at the girl's sad dark eyes and steeled herself to the task. "We have confirmed that we have found the body of Kevin Mabery. We also found a woman not far from his body, but we haven't been able to identify her yet. Can you tell us anything about Anne?"

"She was kinda short," the girl said holding a hand up to her shoulder. "She had dark hair and I think she was like Japanese or something, but she never said."

Brennan thought about the girl on her table. "Did she ever break or hurt her collarbone?"

The girl obviously thought it was a strange question. "Is that this thing?" She asked moving her hand up to her collarbone. When Brennan nodded she said, "Yeah, she got mugged a couple years ago. I don't think she went to the doctor, but it hurt. Is it her?"

"Well I can't say for sure until," Brennan began with her usual lab speak, but she stopped quickly, tests and procedures seemed far removed from this dirty ally. "Yes, I believe it is." The girl eye's filled with tears but they didn't spill over. Booth moved to comfort her, but she moved away from his touch.

"I knew it. When they didn't show up I knew it! Anne told me that it could happen. I knew that guy was trouble. She changed so much after she met him."

"Why did she think it could happen Christy? What was she into?" Booth asked.

"She was really good to me. She used to baby-sit us and sometimes she would stay even when my mom couldn't pay. When my mom wouldn't come home Anne made sure we always had some food. Then this guy moved in with her-"

"Kevin?" Booth interrupted to ask.

She nodded and continued, "After that she didn't come around much." She lowered her voice and said, "I think it was the drugs. Practically everybody is doing meth."

"So why did she think she would be killed?" Brennan asked gently.

"A few months ago everything changed. She had all this money all the sudden, but she was still doing drugs and was as paranoid as ever. I don't know exactly what was going on. A couple times I this guy came in a big black car and she or Kevin would run down and get in the car for a few minutes and get out."

"Did you ever see the guy in the car?" Booth asked.

"Not really," she answered shaking her head. "He had light hair and he was always wearing a suit." She looked at them both carefully before continuing. "One night just before they disappeared I ran into Anne. She was pretty messed up and talking kinda crazy, but she said that they had sold out and that you can't trust anyone. It sounded like someone was trying to cut them out of something."

Brennan shot Booth a meaningful glance at the same time his phone rang. Booth gave Brennan a nod before he answered it, indicating that they were done with the girl. He watched Christy walk down the road next to his partner and he wasn't surprised when Brennan slipped what appeared to be cash into her hand before the girl slipped away.

Booth met her on the street and slipped a hand on her back leading her towards the truck. She knew he would tell her abut the phone call once they were safely inside and she was right, but first he slammed the car into gear and sped away. "DEA is on their way to take down Malcolm. Apparently, he wiped out his bank account and they think he might be gone."

The siren blared through the night when Booth finally turned it on. Brennan felt her adrenaline kick in as Booth maneuvered expertly through traffic. She knew he was driving even faster than usual because he didn't want the DEA guys to get there before him.

"I thought there were agents watching the place?" She asked

"There are, but they haven't been able to confirm that he is inside." Booth reached down and turned off the siren and she knew they were getting close. "When we get there," he began.

"You want me to stay back, I know." She finished. "Fine, but that is definitely on my list of things we need to talk about."

A dark parking lot came into view as Booth turned off the road and parked next to an undercover F.B.I. unit. "You have a list?" He asked as he got out of the truck.

"Of course Booth, I am a writer." She said patiently explaining it to him.

Two cars pulled into the lot yielding four agents and Booth's next question about the list was cut short. Booth quickly took charge of the scene assigning each agent to watch an exit from the apartment. Two of the DEA agents would be accompanying him inside of the apartment. Brennan hung back, which was hard for her. He gave the men some final instructions and they walked over to where she stood.

"I want you to stay with Agent Stevens," he said pointing to one of the FBI agents who had been assigned to surveillance.

"Be careful Booth," She said suddenly aware that he could be in danger.

He leaned closer and whispered, "You don't have to worry about me Bones, I'll always come back." She wanted to tell him that he couldn't promise that, but instead she stood quietly and watched him walk away, pulling out his gun and checking the clip as he went.

Agent Stevens moved suddenly and Brennan had to run to catch up to him. She stood behind him as he covered a rear exit and listened intently for the crackle of his radio. After what seemed to be an exceptionally long wait, a voice came over the radio and said that the target wasn't in the apartment and that there were signs of flight. Brennan closed her eyes and said, "Shit!"

The other agent shared her sentiment. "Come on," he said. "Let's go see if we can find anything."

When they got walked into the living room one look at Booth told Brennan that he felt just a defeated as she did. He walked towards her and handed her a piece of half burned paper from the fireplace. The first part of the note was missing, but what she could see was enough. 'stop us. We are gonna tell the senator.'

--

Brennan sat in the chair in front of Booth's desk feeling so down that she could barely lift her head. They had unraveled the mystery too late. Malcolm Jackson had used Kevin and Anne to get him into the local drug scene. His political connections helped him establish contacts in Mexico, but without the two local junkies he would have never succeeded. He tried to cut them out of the profitable operation and they had countered with telling the senator exactly what his most trusted confidant had been doing behind his back. So Malcolm had waited there for them at the senator's estate and shot them with a gun usually used for duck hunting, which wasn't so surprising considering he was raised in Alabama and spent his childhood hunting.

Kevin had fought back though and had given his girl friend a chance to escape. He had held off Malcolm long enough to give her a change, it just hadn't been enough. Booth stood up and walked around his desk. Standing behind her he gently rubbed her shoulders.

"He got away," she said sadly.

"I know," Booth said as he continued to massage her shoulders.

"I like it much better when we get to arrest the bad guy." She said closing her eyes and allowing herself to enjoy his strong hands easing some of the tension from her body.

"Me too, but unfortunately not every case works that way." He said and she new that he was right. "Every agency is going to be looking for him now. He will be looking over his shoulder his entire life. We'll get him eventually."

Brennan stood up and faced Booth. "At least we identified Anne, right?"

Booth nodded. "Are you ready to give Cullen our report?" He asked.

She swallowed hard and looked up at him. "Yes, but Booth-"

"We need to tell him everything." Booth finished for her. She nodded. "You're probably right, but here is a change we could get in trouble for not reporting it sooner." Booth said.

Naturally, when it came right down to it he would do the right thing. She felt a surge of affection for him, but knew she couldn't do anything about it here. So she did the only other intimate gesture she could think of.

"Seeley," she said, the name still unfamiliar but pleasing. "We have to tell the truth."

Booth reached out and caressed her face. "Whatever happens Bones, I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too Booth," she said surprised by the ease with which she had finally said the words.

He placed a hand on her back and together they headed for Cullen's office, ready to tell him the truth about the events of the last several days. Brennan could feel the warmth from Booth's hand on her back. Her face colored and she realized there might be one detail that they could leave out.

--

Whew. Finally complete! Please let me know what you thought.

I am thinking that my next story will be about Brennan going through a bad boy dating phase. As I'm sure some of you know, bad boys can be fun, but also a lot of work and occasionally bad for your health. As usual it will just be an excuse to get Bones and Booth together, so if you like my writing keep an eye out for it.


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